Caitlin Clark Reveals Why She Skips WNBA’s 3-Point Contest

Caitlin Clark opened up about why she turned down the 3-point contest during the WNBA’s All-Star weekend.

Ultimately it just came down to her not wanting to push her body any further.

“I guess I just need to rest,” Clark said Friday when asked why she chose to compete in the event. “I’ve been playing basketball for a year, it’s not easy to just show up and shoot off the rack. It’s something I’ve never done before. It’s not something I’ve had a lot of time to practice, I’ve been focused on helping my team win games.

“So I think just by enjoying this break, at some point I’ll have enough opportunities to do that… I need a break, and I need to take some time for myself to enjoy what I want to do.”

Clark has had little rest since her final season at Iowa, which began last October.

Shortly after the Hawkeyes lost the national championship to the South Carolina Gamecocks, Clark was selected first overall by the Fever, and just weeks later the WNBA season kicked off.

Still, WNBA fans would no doubt have liked to see Clark, arguably the most popular basketball player and one of the league’s best shooters, show off her skills on Friday night.

Clark, who is expected to play in Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game, has made 71 3-pointers this season, the third-most in the league with a shooting percentage of 32.7 percent.

During her final season at Iowa, Clark set the single-season record with 201 three-pointers and 5.15 shots from distance per game.

The Indiana star isn’t the only big shooter skipping the event, despite already being in Phoenix for this weekend’s festivities.

Also Sabrina Ionescu, the reigning champion in Liberty’s three-point competition, will not participate this time.