Dream guard Allisha Gray doesn’t believe she’s stopped smiling since she arrived in Atlanta two years ago. Over the first seven weeks of her ninth season in the WNBA, Gray has plenty of reasons to smile.
Through 18 games, Gray has positioned herself as not only one of the guards in the league but one of the top 20 players in the WNBA.
“I don’t know where to start,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “She’s just been outstanding all season. She’s been aggressive. She’s been smart. She’s competed at both ends. It’s not just scoring. She’s getting assists, getting steals, you know, so she’s just been one of the best players in the league all season.”
Since the season began, Gray has earned two Eastern Conference Player of the Week nods. She’s earned back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for May and June, becoming the first player in Dream history to win the award twice in a single season. She’s also the first Eastern Conference player since Elena Delle Donne in 2019 to earn back-to-back monthly honors to open a season.
“I think she’s been very consistent,” Smesko said. “And, you know, rare off night here and there. But I mean, almost every game that’s been aggressive, smart, productive, I just think that she’s been outstanding ... And I think you have to be to win. How many months has there been this award this year, so far? Two? I mean, it’s hard to beat that.”
But being named to her third All-Star team, this time as a starter, sweetens Gray’s first seven weeks to the 2025 season.
Entering Thursday’s game against the Storm, Gray averaged 19.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. She currently leads the WNBA in total points with 322. She is the only player in the league averaging more than 19 points per game while shooting above 40% from both the field and 3.
“I just feel like I’m comfortable in my game,” Gray said before Thursday’s game. “I’m just out there having fun ... And I guess all my hard work is showing as well. I put in a lot of work in the offseason as well, being at Unrivaled and then coming here early to workshop in the offseason, as well.”
What has made this season fun for Gray and allowed her to play freely is the system Smesko has installed. It opens up the floor for Gray and allows her to get looks from 3.
That empowerment began in the offseason, and it’s carried over weeks later.
“It’s amazing,” Gray said. “I mean, he told me during the offseason that I was gonna have one of my best seasons yet. I guess he wasn’t lying.”
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