Storm's Hiedeman Enters WNBA 3-Point Contest in 2026

Storm's Hiedeman Enters WNBA 3-Point Contest 2026 Natisha Hiedeman has officially accepted her invitation to the WNBA 3-Point Contest. The announcement dropped Tuesday morning, and honestly? It's about time. The Seattle Storm guard has been knocking down threes at an elite clip all season, and the league finally recognized what Storm fans have known since training camp — she's one of the purest shooters in the game right now.

The contest takes place Friday night in Indianapolis as part of All-Star weekend festivities. Hiedeman joins a field that includes Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum, and Arike Ogunbowale. That's murderers' row territory. But if you've watched a Storm game this year, you know she belongs in that conversation.

What Is the WNBA 3-Point Contest For anyone new to the event, the format is straightforward. Each contestant gets 60 seconds to shoot from five racks positioned around the arc. Four standard racks with four regular balls and one money ball each. One "Star Shot" rack where every ball counts for two points.

Perfect score is 40. The top two advance to a final round with the same format. Simple on paper. Brutal.

The contest has evolved since its debut in 2006. Early years felt like an afterthought — a halftime filler between the Skills Challenge and the main event. Then Sabrina Ionescu happened. Her 37-point performance in 2023 (tying the NBA record set by Stephen Curry and Tyrese Haliburton) changed everything.

Suddenly the 3-Point Contest wasn't a sideshow. It was appointment viewing. How the 2026 Format Differs This year the league added a wrinkle. The "Star Shot" rack now moves location based on a pre-contest fan vote.

Could be the corner. Could be the top of the key. Could be 28 feet out. Contestants found out the location Wednesday, giving them roughly 48 hours to adjust their rhythm.

Hiedeman told reporters after practice Thursday that she's comfortable anywhere. "I've shot thousands of balls from every spot on this floor. The rack location matters less than my routine. " That confidence isn't bluster.

It's earned. Why Hiedeman's Entry Matters Seattle acquired Hiedeman in a three-team deal last February. The front office sent out a future first-round pick and a role player to bring her in. At the time, critics called it an overpay for a career backup.

Those critics haven't watched much film lately. Hiedeman is shooting 42.8% from three on 6.2 attempts per game this season. Both career highs. She's fourth in the league in three-point percentage among qualified shooters.

Only Ionescu, Plum, and Allisha Gray sit ahead of her. But the numbers only tell part of the story. The Gravity Factor Watch a Storm possession when Hiedeman is on the floor. Defenders cannot help off her.

Not for a second. That gravity — the magnetic pull her shooting creates — opens driving lanes for Jewell Loyd, creates post-up space for Ezi Magbegor, and forces defenses into impossible rotations. "She bends the defense in ways that don't show up in the box score," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said last week. "When Natisha is in the game, the floor just looks bigger for everyone else.

" That's the real value. And it's why her presence in the 3-Point Contest matters beyond the individual accolade. It validates the Storm's roster construction. It signals to the league that Seattle's front office saw something others missed.

How the Contest Works (and Where Hiedeman Wins) Let's break down the actual mechanics, because this is where Hiedeman's specific skill set shines. Rack Management Most casual fans assume the contest is about making shots. It's really about rhythm and rack management. You have 60 seconds.

That's 27 shots if you're efficient. The money balls (worth two points each) appear as the final ball on each standard rack. The Star Shot rack is all money balls. Elite contestants don't rush.

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They establish a cadence. Catch, dip, release. Repeat. The best shooters in contest history — Ionescu, Allie Quigley, Katie Smith — all shared one trait: their motion never changed regardless of rack position.

Hiedeman's release is compact. Minimal dip. High follow-through. She gets the ball off in 0.38 seconds on catch-and-shoot attempts this season, per Second Spectrum tracking.

That's 94th percentile. In a timed format, that quick trigger translates directly to more attempts. The Corner Factor Here's where it gets interesting. The corner three is the shortest distance on the floor (22 feet).

It's also where Hiedeman lives. 47% of her three-point attempts this season have come from the corners. She's shooting 48.6% from the left corner and 45.2% from the right. If the fan vote placed the Star Shot rack in either corner — and early voting data suggested the left corner was leading — Hiedeman enters with a massive advantage.

She practices those exact shots hundreds of times per week. "I know my spots," she said. "The corner is my office. " Fatigue Management The hidden killer in this contest is fatigue.

By rack four, arms get heavy. Legs stop driving the shot. Form breaks down. Contestants who pace themselves — taking a deliberate breath between racks, wiping hands, resetting mentally — consistently outperform those who sprint the first 30 seconds.

Hiedeman has experience here. She competed in the 2022 contest as a Sun player and finished third. She knows the rhythm. She knows when to breathe.

That veteran presence matters more than people realize. Common Mistakes / What Most People Get Wrong There's a narrative that the 3-Point Contest is pure luck. Hot hand. Cold hand.

Random variance. That's lazy analysis. Mistake: Assuming All Great Shooters Are Great Contest Shooters Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest shooters in WNBA history. She never won the 3-Point Contest.

The skills don't perfectly overlap. Game shooting involves movement, screens, defensive pressure, decision-making. Contest shooting is static repetition under a unique pressure — the clock, the crowd, the isolation. Hiedeman bridges that gap.

Her game shooting is catch-and-shoot repetition. The Storm offense generates exactly the looks the contest replicates. Wide-open catch. One-two step.

Fire. She's essentially been practicing for this all season. Mistake: Overvaluing Range Deep threes look impressive on television. But the contest rewards efficiency, not distance.

The money balls are on standard racks at standard NBA/WNBA distance (22'1.75" at the top, 22' in the corners). The Star Shot rack varies, but it's never beyond 28 feet. Contestants who chase the logo shot often sacrifice percentage on the bread-and-butter racks. Hiedeman doesn't hunt logo shots in games.

She won't hunt them Friday night either. Smart. Mistake: Ignoring the Mental Game The crowd in Indianapolis will be loud. The lights are brighter.

There's a clock counting down on national television. Some shooters thrive in that environment. Others shrink. Hiedeman played at Marquette in the Big East.

She's played in NCAA Tournament games. She's played in WNBA Finals games. This isn't her first pressure cooker. "I've shot in front of 18,000 people screaming against me," she said.

"Friday will be fun by comparison. " Practical Tips / What Actually Works If you're a young player watching this contest — or a coach designing shooting drills — here's what translates from the contest floor to real development.