Caitlin Clark will feature in the Team Spoon vs Team Coop clash at Chicago’s United Center for the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, but that will be all for her at the weekend’s events. When the WNBA announced the list of players for the annual State Farm 3-Point Contest, Clark’s name was a noticeable absence. The thoughts of a snub or the player being made to rest came to mind, but ESPN’s Alexa Philippou put all speculation to rest.

Philippou tweeted, “FYI: Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride were invited to participate in the 3-point contest but declined, a source told ESPN.”

This is not the first time Clark has declined an invite to a three-point contest. According to Bleacher Report, she declined in 2024 to prioritise rest. A year later, she was set to play, but had to decline due to a groin injury. 

Clark even declined the NBA’s invite for their All-Star weekend’s three-point shootout as she wanted her first one to be with the WNBA. 

The latest setback could be down to her injury, which has seen her minutes limited. Since returning against the Sparks on July 9, she has crossed the 26-minute mark just once. That came in her historic 45-point outing against the Storm on July 17.

Clark’s fellow guards, Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell, will also not feature in the 3-point contest. Another noticeable absence is their teammate Aliyah Boston. All three ranked among the WNBA’s top shooters from three this season.

Cunningham responded on X with a now-deleted post, writing, “soooo what else is new with everyone?”

Her comment came in response to trainer Drew Hanlen, who pointed out that Cunningham was among the league leaders in three-point percentage.

Hanlen wrote, “Second in the league in 3P% & not invited to the 3-Point Contest? They’re hating on you, @sophaller!”

The numbers back him up. Boston leads the trio at 46.9% from three, followed by Cunningham at 43.7% and Mitchell at 42.3%, while also ranking third in the league for made threes per game at 2.7.

Ionescu called out a claim that says she was invited

The plot thickened when one of the three players the ESPN reporter named learned about it through a post by Bleacher Report’s women’s sports page. Ionescu commented on the post, which reiterated Philippou’s report through a graphic.

The New York Liberty guard wrote, “Lies.”

The post is now deleted, but eagle-eyed fans have already uploaded screenshots of the comment on social media. However, the New York Liberty star is the only one who has directly addressed the report, as Clark and McBride haven’t made any clarifications.

Meanwhile, Alexa Philippou’s original post is also there on her X profile.

While we’ll have to wait and see if Clark addresses the post, the current State Farm 3-Point Contest roster is packed with the W’s top talents.

Azzi Fudd headlines the participants alongside Marina Mabrey, Rhyne Howard, Natisha Hiedeman, Janelle Salaün, and Bridget Carleton. For Fudd, it’s another major milestone in an impressive rookie season, especially after posting a higher three-point percentage than Sabrina Ionescu.

Despite that, the absence of Clark, Cunningham, Ionescu, Boston, and more may be a bummer for a big portion of the W’s fanbase.

Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu’s absence might be a painful factor

For a third straight year, fans won’t get to see one of the league’s biggest stars in the 3-Point Contest. Ionescu’s absence, meanwhile, carries a different kind of weight.

Few players have left a bigger mark on the event than the Liberty guard. In 2023, she produced one of the greatest shooting displays in basketball history, scoring 37 out of 40 points in the final round by making 25 of her 27 shots. The performance set the all-time single-round scoring record across both the WNBA and NBA 3-Point Contests.

A year later, Ionescu took on Stephen Curry in the groundbreaking “Stephen vs. Sabrina” 3-Point Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend. Shooting from the NBA three-point line, she still put up an impressive 26 points, earning widespread praise despite falling to Curry.

Ionescu returned in style the following year. Back in the WNBA 3-Point Contest, Ionescu reclaimed the title by defeating Allisha Gray in the final after scoring 30 points, highlighted by a remarkable streak of 11 consecutive made shots.

With Clark reportedly declining the invitation, fans may feel the contest is missing two of its biggest attractions. The numbers support the popularity argument. The New York Liberty-Indiana Fever showdown on July 18 averaged 2.579 million viewers on CBS and peaked at 3.089 million, making it the second most-watched WNBA game since 2000.

A Clark-Ionescu showdown in the 2026 3-Point Contest had all the ingredients to become another marquee television moment. Instead, that dream matchup will have to wait.