Chelsea Nichelle Gray (born October 8, 1992) is an American professionalbasketball player for theLas Vegas Aces of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and forRose BC ofUnrivaled. Nicknamed "Point Gawd", she was the eleventh pick in the2014 WNBA draft by theConnecticut Sun. After missing the2014 season due to injury, she made her debut in the following year. Gray won her first title with theLos Angeles Sparks in2016. She won her second title with theLas Vegas Aces in the2022 WNBA Finals, where she was namedFinals MVP, and she won her third and fourth title with Las Vegas Aces in 2023 and 2025. She won gold medals for 5x5 basketball at the2020 and2024 Summer Olympics.[1] Her team, Rose BC, won the first everUnrivaled league championship, where Gray was team captain and Finals MVP.[2][3]
Joanne P. McCallie coached Duke's women's basketball team during the time Gray played for theDuke Blue Devils. In Gray's junior year at Duke (February 2013), she dislocated her knee which caused her to be sidelined the rest of her junior year. Gray injured the same knee again in January 2014, causing her to miss the remainder of her senior year and abruptly ending her college career. Despite this she was drafted to theConnecticut Sun in 2014.[4]
Gray was drafted 11th overall by theConnecticut Sun in the2014 WNBA draft. She sat out the 2014 season while recovering from a right knee injury that she sustained in January of her senior year while playing at Duke.[5]
Gray would come back healthy in time for the 2015 season. Coming off the bench for the Sun, she averaged 6.9 ppg.
Prior to the 2016 season, Gray was traded to theLos Angeles Sparks along with two first round picks in the2016 WNBA draft and a first round pick in the 2017 WNBA draft in exchange for draft rights toJonquel Jones and the 17th pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft.[6] Joining forces withCandace Parker,Kristi Toliver andNneka Ogwumike, Gray would come off the bench as the back-up point guard on the Sparks roster, playing 33 games with 1 start and averaging 5.9 ppg. The Sparks were a championship contender in the league, finishing 26–8. The Sparks were the number 2 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the WNBA Finals) facing theChicago Sky due to the WNBA's new playoff format. The Sparks defeated the Sky 3–1 in the series, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2003. In the Finals, the Sparks were up against the championship-defendingMinnesota Lynx. Gray's playing time would be slightly increased in the Finals and was able to provide an offensive spark off the bench for the Sparks. In Game 4 with the Sparks up 2–1, Gray scored a team-high 20 points off the bench in 24 minutes of play, but the Sparks still lost the game. In the decisive Game 5, Gray scored 11 consecutive points for the Sparks in the second half. The Sparks would win Game 5 and the2016 WNBA Championship.[7]
With Toliver leaving the Sparks in free agency to join theWashington Mystics, Gray would be moved to starting point guard, following her heroic off-the-bench performance in the Finals. Gray would have a breakout season in 2017 as she scored a career-high 25 points on May 27, 2017, in a 75–73 loss to theAtlanta Dream.[8] Gray would also be voted into the2017 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her first career all-star game appearance.[9] She finished off the season leading the league in three-point field goal percentage and averaged career-highs in scoring, rebounds, assists and minutes as the Sparks finished second place in the league with a 26–8 record, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. The Sparks would go on to advance to the Finals for the second season in a row, after defeating thePhoenix Mercury in a 3-game sweep, setting up a rematch with the Lynx. In Game 1 of the2017 WNBA Finals, Gray scored a new career-high 27 points and hit the game-winning shot with 2 seconds left, sealing an 85–84 victory to give the Sparks a 1–0 series lead.[10] However, the Sparks would lose in five games, failing to win back-to-back championships.
On May 20, 2018, in the Sparks' season opener against the Lynx, Gray scored 18 points along with a game-winning layup at the buzzer in a 77–76 victory.[11] Later on in the season, Gray would be voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, for her second career all-star appearance. Gray finished off the season averaging a new career-highs in scoring, steals, assists and rebounds. The Sparks finished as the number 6 seed in the league with a 19–15 record. In the first round elimination game they would defeat the Lynx 75–68 in which Gray Gray scored a season-high 26 points. The Sparks would advance to the second round elimination game where they would lose 96–64 to the Washington Mystics.
On April 30, 2019, Gray re-signed with the Sparks.[12] On July 7, 2019, Gray recorded her firsttriple-double with 13 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 98–81 win against theWashington Mystics, becoming both the ninth player in league history and the third player in Sparks' franchise history to record a triple-double.[13] Gray would also be voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her third all-star appearance. On August 29, 2019, Gray scored a career-high 30 points in a 87–83 win against theIndiana Fever. By the end of the season, the Sparks finished as the number 3 seed with a 22–12 record, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks defeated the defending champions Seattle Storm 92–69. In the semi-finals, the Sparks were defeated in a three-game sweep by the Connecticut Sun.
In the2020 WNBA season, Gray started all 22 games played for the Sparks, the season was shortened in a bubble atIMG Academy due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. On August 28, 2020, Gray scored a season-high 27 points in an 80–76 victory over the Connecticut Sun.[14] The Sparks finished 15–7 with the number 3 seed, receiving a bye to the second round but were eliminated by the seventh seeded Connecticut Sun in the second round elimination game, making it the second year a row that they've been eliminated by the same team.
In 2021 free agency, Gray signed a multi-year deal with theLas Vegas Aces.[15]
Before her first WNBA season, Gray played inIsraeli League for Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion in the 2014–15 off-season. In the 2015–16 off-season, Gray played inSpain forUni Girona CB for the first portion of the off-season and spent the second portion of the off-season playing inTurkey forAbdullah Gul University.[16][17] In June 2016, Gray re-signed with Abdullah Gul University for the 2016–17 off-season.[18] In July 2017, Gray signed withBotaş SK for the 2017–18 off-season.[19] In July 2020, Gray signed withFenerbahçe of the Turkish league.[20]
On July 11, 2024, it was announced that Gray would appear and play in the inaugural season ofUnrivaled, a new women's 3-on-3 basketball league founded byNapheesa Collier andBreanna Stewart.[21][22] She captainedRose BC, the winners of the first ever Unrivaled Championship, in which she was awarded the Finals MVP Trophy.[23]
In late March 2020, theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government postponed the2020 Summer Olympics until the summer of 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[24] In June 2021, Gray was named to the 12-playerroster forTeam USA for the2020 summer Olympics.[25] She and Team USA went on to win the gold medal in the tournament, defeatingJapan 90–75 in the final.[26]
In June 2024, Gray was again named to theUS women's Olympic team to compete at the2024 Summer Olympics inFrance, alongside fellow Aces teammates,Kelsey Plum,A'ja Wilson, andJackie Young.[27] Gray and the United States defeatedFrance 67–66 in thefinal, earning Gray her second consecutive gold medal and the United States' eighth consecutive gold medal.[28]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| Denotes seasons in which Gray won aTurkish Women's Basketball Cup | |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Gray won aWNBA championship |
Stats current through end of 2024 season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Did not play (injury) | ||||||||||||
| 2015 | Connecticut | 34 | 0 | 16.0 | .424 | .348 | .816 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| 2016† | Los Angeles | 33 | 1 | 16.4 | .452 | .304 | .780 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 5.9 |
| 2017 | Los Angeles | 34 | 34 | 33.1 | .507 | .482° | .827 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 14.8 |
| 2018 | Los Angeles | 34 | 34 | 32.7 | .484 | .392 | .835 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 14.9 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles | 34 | 34 | 32.6 | .416 | .382 | .917 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 14.5 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 22 | 22 | 30.6 | .442 | .305 | .939 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 14.0 |
| 2021 | Las Vegas | 32 | 32 | 28.9 | .454 | .380 | .889 | 2.9 | 5.9 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 11.1 |
| 2022† | Las Vegas | 35 | 35 | 29.7 | .491 | .340 | .910 | 3.2 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 13.7 |
| 2023† | Las Vegas | 40 | 40 | 32.2 | .490 | .421 | .897 | 4.0 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 15.3 |
| 2024 | Las Vegas | 27 | 25 | 26.0 | .408 | .338 | .813 | 2.9 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 8.6 |
| Career | 10 years, 3 teams | 325 | 257 | 27.9 | .462 | .382 | .865 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 12.0 |
| All-Star | 6 | 4 | 18.1 | .405 | .292 | — | 3.5 | 5.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 6.8 | |
Stats current through end of 2024 playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016† | Los Angeles | 9 | 0 | 22.1 | .406 | .391 | .833 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 9.0 |
| 2017 | Los Angeles | 8 | 8 | 35.6 | .461 | .333 | .778 | 3.4 | 6.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 15.1 |
| 2018 | Los Angeles | 2 | 2 | 31.7 | .393 | .429 | .833 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 16.5 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | 32.4 | .367 | .333 | .667 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 10.5 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 1 | 1 | 35.0 | .222 | .000 | — | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| 2021 | Las Vegas | 5 | 5 | 28.4 | .462 | .389 | 1.000° | 3.2 | 6.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 15.4 |
| 2022† | Las Vegas | 10 | 10 | 34.0 | .611 | .544 | .833 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 21.7 |
| 2023† | Las Vegas | 8 | 8 | 35.9 | .436 | .355 | 1.000° | 4.4 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 15.6 |
| 2024 | Las Vegas | 6 | 6 | 32.0 | .383 | .286 | .818 | 2.7 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 10.5 |
| Career | 9 years, 2 teams | 53 | 44 | 31.5 | .464 | .394 | .863 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 14.4 |
| Season | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Hapoel Rishon LeZion |  Ligat ha'Al | 14 | 35.4 | .500 | .351 | .812 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 4.0 | 20.6 |
| 2015–16 | Spar Citylift Girona |  LFB | 9 | 32.4 | .477 | .400 | .889 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 4.4 | 18.4 |
| 2015–16 | Abdullah Gül Üniversitesi |  KBSL | 20 | 30.6 | .541 | .246 | .846 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 13.6 |
| 2016–17 | 24 | 33.0 | .556 | .364 | .805 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 14.9 | ||
| 2017–18 | Botaş | 18 | 33.0 | .518 | .211 | .805 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 16.4 | |
| 2018–19 | Çukurova | 11 | 25.3 | .610 | .324 | .944 | 3.3 | 7.2 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 13.6 | |
| 2019–20 | Fenerbahçe | 3 | 18.1 | .444 | .444 | 1.000 | 2.3 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 7.3 | |
| 2020–21 | Spar Girona | LFB | 22 | 24.4 | .514 | .162 | .841 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 10.6 |
| Season | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Abdullah Gül Üniversitesi | KBSL | 7 | 39.6 | .446 | .258 | .773 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 16.4 |
| 2016–17 | 3 | 33.4 | .482 | .143 | 1.000 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 11.3 | ||
| 2017–18 | Botaş | 2 | 35.2 | .375 | .000 | 1.000 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 14.5 | |
| 2018–19 | Çukurova | 10 | 34.1 | .538 | .400 | .909 | 5.2 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 19.4 | |
| 2020–21 | Spar Girona | LFB | 4 | 29.4 | .563 | .167 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 12.8 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Duke | 34 | 18 | 21.2 | .432 | .398 | .805 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 8.7 |
| 2011–12 | Duke | 33 | 33 | 32.2 | .458 | .377 | .821 | 4.9 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 12.5 |
| 2012–13 | Duke | 25 | 25 | 30.3 | .421 | .407 | .851 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 12.6 |
| 2013–14 | Duke | 17 | 16 | 27.7 | .504 | .333 | .745 | 4.2 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 10.8 |
| Career | 109 | 92 | 27.7 | .449 | .385 | .814 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 11.1 | |
Gray has participated inAmateur Athletic Union (AAU). In her free time, she has helped work out and train younger kids in AAU to become better athletes.[32]
She is openly lesbian.[33] In November 2019, she married formerLong Beach State andAmerican Samoan basketball player, Tipesa Moorer.[34][35] In November 2023, they announced that Tipesa was pregnant with their first child,[36] and in February 2024, Lennox Ali'i Gray was born.[37]
_(cropped).jpg)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Media related toChelsea Gray at Wikimedia Commons
Links to related articles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
