WNBA 3-Point Contest & Skills Challenge Preview & Best Bets

Not to be outdone by the men, the WNBA also has its own WNBA 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge as part of their All-Star Weekend, which all goes down starting tonight in Phoenix. While the biggest of names aren’t competing in the competitions tonight, it should still be fun to watch, and more importantly, fun to bet on. Here is your WNBA 3-Point Contest & Skills Challenge Preview & Best Bets.

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WNBA 3-Point Contest & Skills Challenge Preview & Best Bets

Start Time: 9:00 PM Eastern
TV: ESPN 

Tonight at the Footprint Center, the home of the Phoenix Mercury, we get the Kia WNBA Skills Competition, a 3×3 exhibition between Team USA and a U21 team, and the WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest (I couldn’t find odds for the 3×3, so we’re ignoring that).

First, the skills competition participants, from the WNBA press release:

And the rules:

The three-point shooters will compete in the two-round, timed competition with ball racks positioned at five main shooting locations around the three-point arc. Four of the racks contain four official WNBA game balls worth one point each and one “money” ball worth two points. The fifth rack will be a special “all money ball” rack, with every ball worth two points. In addition, two ball pedestals will be positioned at deep shot locations called “The Starry Range.” Each pedestal holds one special ball known as the “Starry” ball; shots made with the special ball are worth three points. The two players with the highest scores in the First Round will advance to the Final Round.

No Sabrina Ionescu or Caitlin Clark, although they were both invited but decided against competing. And, yes, a center currently leads the WNBA in long-range bombing. I don’t like the two centers’ chances in an event like this, and I’m leaning towards the quantity and quality with my pick – Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride, who leads the league in threes made and also hits them at a high success rate.

WNBA 3-Point Competition Best Bet: Kayla McBride (+135)

Now for the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge participants:

And the rules:

The five contestants in the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge will compete in an obstacle course that tests a variety of basketball skills: dribbling, bounce pass, chest pass, and outlet pass, in addition to shots including an elbow jumper and three-pointers from atop the arc and the corner. Among the obstacles positioned along the course will be a 2025 Kia Sorento Turbo-Hybrid. The players will compete against one another to post the fastest time when running the course. The two players with the fastest times in the First Round will advance to the Final Round.

A couple of hometown Mercury players will be in this, including the 6’9″ Brittney Griner. No way she’s winning this contest, and the odds agree – she’s the longest shot at +600. Let’s go with the recently traded Marina Mabrey – small, fast, and young compared to the field.

Skills Competition Best Bets: Marina Mabrey (+350)

If you’d like even more information on WNBA gambling, be sure to check out the WNBA Gambling Podcast. The guys are dropping multiple episodes weekly to make you the smartest guy at the bar.