Sky guard Allie Quigley became the first player, male or female, to win four 3-point contests at 2022 WNBA All-Star weekend on July 9 at McCormick Place in her hometown of Chicago.
After draining her third shot on the right-wing rack in the final round, Quigley edged out Washington Mystics’ guard Ariel Atkins who set a high of 21 points, and Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard who put up 14 points. With a perfect final rack, Quigley totaled a record-breaking 30 points, beating her previously set record by one.
As the final buzzer sounded, fellow teammates Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot jumped out of their seats to congratulate Quigley.
“You need to rename it the Allie Quigley three-point contest,” said Parker, who donned Quigley’s No. 14 DePaul jersey said to her Sky teammate.
“It would be cool, but they don’t have to do that,” Quigley said smiling.
During last year’s 2021 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Quigley vowed that was her final 3-point contest. But, after hearing this year’s All-Star Game would take place in Chicago, she said she caved. Now, after winning back-to-back titles, the Joliet, Illinois native is 100% retired from the competition. And, she means it this time.
“Retired in my hometown,” Quigley said. “It’s a good storybook ending I’d say.”
Quigley outscored all of her competitors in the first round with 26 points, eliminating Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd, Las Vegas Aces’ Kelsey Plum, and Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale. Her tip for future contest shooters in the league: make the first rack and focus on the money balls.
The No. 22 pick in the second round of the 2008 WNBA draft, Quigley played on four different teams before joining the Sky in 2013. For players just starting out in the W, Quigley’s advice is to trust the process. Because, if her journey in the league has taught her anything, it’s resilience.
“Sometimes you really want to accomplish things that aren’t going to happen right away,” Quigley said. “It’s a journey, even for first-round picks. You’ve just got to stay the course, you’ve got to be coachable, a good teammate, and just continue to learn.”
Quigley attributes much of what she’s ascertained in the league to being around players such as Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter, and Sue Bird, and fine-tuning her game overseas in the off-season. This past All-Star weekend, her hard work paid off as she officially became the most decorated three-point shooter in professional basketball, surpassing NBA stars Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.
As for who might take the 3-point crown next year, Quigley said she thinks fellow contest finalist Rhyne Howard, and skills contest winner Sabrina Ionescu, both have indisputable potential. The two guards were both No. 1 overall WNBA draft picks in their respective draft classes.
“[Sabrina’s] a good shooter and a good young talent,” Quigley said. “Before this competition, Courtney and I were talking and we said [Rhyne] Howard is going to be the main competition because she’s got such a smooth jumper.”
In her 14th season in the WNBA, Quigley remains a key part of the Sky’s starting lineup. She is the Sky’s all-time leading scorer and three-time WNBA All-Star. Quigley currently averages 10.8 points per game and currently shoots 43.2% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range this 2022 season.