WNBA 3-point contest rules, explained: Number of rounds, time limits, tiebreaker for 2026 contest

WNBA 3-point contest rules, explained: Number of rounds, time limits, tiebreaker for 2026 contest originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The WNBA’s premiere shooters will be on display in Chicago on Friday night.

The 2026 WNBA 3-Point Contest will be held at Wintrust Arena in the Windy City, with stars like Marina Mabrey, Rhyne Howard and Azzi Fudd competing in the competition.

Featuring eight of the league’s best shooters, participants will engage in a multi-round event similar to the NBA’s 3-Point contest.

Here’s a guide to how the WNBA’s 3-Point Contest rules work. 

MORE: Why Caitlin Clark won’t be participating in 2026 3-Point Contest

WNBA 3-Point Contest rules, explained

Rounds

Six participants enter the field for the WNBA 3-Point Contest, but only the top two shooters from Round 1 will advance to a second round.

Players will be aiming to put as many points on the board as possible in Round 1 — and when that leaderboard is set, the top-two finishers will advance to go head-to-head in the final.

Time

Shooters face the threat of the clock during their time in the spotlight. 

Each competitor gets 70 seconds per round to shoot from five different locations beyond the 3-point line. 

Ties

With 27 total basketballs to shoot in each round, including a “moneyball” worth two points at the end of each rack and one full rack of the player’s choosing, there is a maximum total score of 40 points. The WNBA has also featured two “Starry Range” racks in the past that are far deeper than the rest with just one ball, but each is worth three points.

However, if there is a tie at the top of the leaderboard to determine who advances, the WNBA has previously used a tiebreaker format that shortens the time to just 30 seconds in a tiebreaker round for each tied player.

WNBA 3-Point Contest participants

PlayerTeamMarina MabreyTempoRhyne HowardDreamAzzi FuddWingsBridget CarletonFireNatisha HiedemanStormJanelle SalaunValkyries

What time does the WNBA 3-Point Contest start?

• Date: Friday, July 24
• Time: 8 p.m. ET

The WNBA 3-Point Contest tips off on Friday, July 24 at 8 p.m. ET from Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest past winners

Here’s a look at the history of WNBA 3-Point Contest winners.

YearPlayerTeam2006Dawn StaleyComets2007Laurie KoehnMystics2009Becky HammonSilver Stars2010Katie DouglasFever2017Allie QuigleySky2018Allie QuigleySky2019Shekinna StricklenSun2021Allie QuigleySky2022Allie QuigleySky2023Sabrina IonescuLiberty2024Allisha GrayDream2025Sabrina IonescuLiberty