PHOENIX — Allisha Gray emerged as the victor in the WNBA All-Star skills competition, defeating local favorite Sophie Cunningham in the finals on Friday night.
The Atlanta Dream player excelled in the preliminary round and continued her strong performance in the final round, finishing just a second behind. Gray secured the win on the obstacle course, which involves passing, dribbling, and shooting, completing it in 32.1 seconds.
While both Gray and Cunningham faced challenges from the 3-point line in the finals, Gray managed to outpace the Mercury star, finishing with a time of 34.2 seconds.
Gray expressed her enjoyment of the event, stating, “It’s definitely fun. Being here is a breath of fresh air. You’re still locked in, but it’s more like a fun atmosphere.”
Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana replaced her Fever teammate Erica Wheeler at the last minute due to travel complications caused by a worldwide technological issue on Friday.
Mitchell, wearing Wheeler’s jersey, did not advance to the finals.
Brittney Griner, Cunningham’s teammate, participated in the event representing post players and finished the course in 46.3 seconds.
Marina Mabrey, who recently joined Connecticut, wore a Sun jersey for the first time and participated in both the skills competition and 3-point shootout along with Gray.
Gray is set to receive $2,575 from the league and an additional $55,000 from Aflac through a partnership with the WNBPA.
Gray initially considered using the $55,000 to start a new business but later decided to indulge in a golfing and shopping spree.
