PHOENIX — Dinner is ready. Alisha Gray.
of Atlanta Dream The guard made WNBA history Friday night by becoming the first player to win the Skills Challenge and the 3-Point Contest in the same year, taking home nearly her entire year’s salary.
Gray received $5,150 in prize money from the WNBA and $110,000 from Aflac, which announced Thursday that it would add $55,000 to the league’s prize money for each event winner. Gray’s annual salary is $185,000.
She plans to splurge a little and take her Dream Team pals out to dinner, but with one caveat.
“For my team, yeah, they have to come up with a plan,” Gray said. “I just foot the bill.”
After taking the lead with a three-point final and scoring 22 points, she had to catch her breath on the final shot of the match. Jonquel Jones of New York Liberty A final shot, the Money Ball, would have won by one point, but Jones’ shot bounced off the rim and Gray won, 22-21.
“I was nervous because she was shooting a lot,” Gray said. “JJ is a great 3-point shooter. I’ve told her before, ‘I know your shooting skills. I know you can do great things.'”
“But when I got that last shot and the score was so close and she missed it, I breathed a sigh of relief because she’s a great shooter.”
Gray came into the 3-point contest already warmed up, having competed in the skills challenge earlier that evening, but playing a dual role caught up with her late in the game.
“I was a little tired from the skills competition, but I stayed focused and went in,” she said.
Jones led all shooters with 25 points in the opening game, followed by Gray with 23 points. Kayla McBride21 years old, Stephanie Dolson20 years old and Marina MabryI’m 19.
Gray is the first WNBA player to win both events and just the third to win the overall event, joining Becky Hammon, who won the skill event in 2007 and the 3-point event in 2009. Sabrina IonescuSkillz in 2022 and three points in 2023.
In the skills challenge, Gray beat one of two popular local competitors. Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie CunninghamIn the final round, he won with a time of 32.1 seconds to Cunningham’s 34.5 seconds.
In the first round, Gray and Cunningham defeated Mercury center Mabry in 35.7 seconds. Brittney Grinerthe time was 46.3 seconds, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchellwas disqualified for not completing the course within the time limit.
Mitchell is a teammate Erica Wheelerwas unable to arrive in Phoenix on Friday because his flight was canceled. In memory of Wheeler, Mitchell wore Wheeler’s jersey during the competition.
The skills competition had seven components: players had to throw three bounce passes to the net, throw a chest pass to the net, shoot a three-pointer from the top of the key, shoot from the elbow, windmill a three-pointer from the corner, and make a chest pass and a layup.
That evening, the national team also held a 3×3 exhibition match ahead of the Paris Olympics. Dearica Hamby of Los Angeles Sparks, Ryne Howard Former WNBA Dream player Sierra Burdick and current TCU guard Haley Van Lithand the U-23 national team.
The national team beat the U-23 team 19-16 behind Howard’s 10 points. The U.S. is the defending gold medalist, but sent four players to this year’s tournament.
