Caitlin Clark Explains Missing The WNBA 3-Point Shooting Contest

Caitlin Clark is almost single-handedly changing the future of women's professional basketball, but she won't be in one of the WNBA's biggest events around the All-Star Game.

Clark, along with Sabrina Ionescu, surprisingly planned to not be part of the WNBA 3-point contest Friday night. Nor was she part of the skills competition won by Allisha Gray over hometown favorite Sophie Cunningham. 

READ: Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu Not Competing In 3-Point Contest Perfectly Sums Up WNBA's Incompetency

As one of the best 3-point shooters in the WNBA and the league's biggest star, it was a bizarre omission. Clark addressed it on Friday, implying that it was her decision not to participate.

"Honesty, I think it’s just rest," she said to the media, according to the Indy Star. "I've been playing basketball for a year straight. It's not an easy thing to just show up to and shoot off a rack. It's not something I've ever done before. It's not something that I've had a lot of time to practice."

"The biggest thing for me was I need a break, and I need to take time to myself to enjoy what I wanna do," Clark said.

July 19, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz., U.S.; WNBA All-Star coach Cheryl Miller talks to Fever guard Caitlin Clark during WNBA All-Star practice on Media Day at the Footprint Center. (© Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Caitlin Clark Out Of The 3-Point Contest Deals A Blow To WNBA All-Star Friday

The WNBA's Skills Competition event in Phoenix did feature two Mercury players in Cunningham and Brittney Griner. But having Clark, or Angel Reese or Ionescu involved would certainly have added more outside fan interest.

That said, it's hard to begrudge Clark taking some time off after nearly endless basketball over the past year. The Iowa basketball season was followed almost immediately by the WNBA draft and then the start of the regular season. 

Though Clark will play in the All-Star Game on Saturday night, she'll get a much longer break afterwards. The Fever won't play again until August 16, giving Clark nearly a month between games. Given how much she's played, she can certainly use it.