LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chelsea Gray has been building a Hall of Fame resume, and she took a significant step toward that Thursday night by placing herself in a select group of players.
Gray crossed the 2,000-assist threshold in the Las Vegas Aces’ 99-84 victory over Dallas, making her one of four players in WNBA history to reach that figure and 4,500 points.
The others?
Sue Bird, Lindsay Whalen and Diana Taurasi. Bird and Whalen are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and it would be a major shock if Taurasi isn’t inducted when she becomes eligible in 2030.
Gray and Whalen reached the 4,500-2,000 marks in 387 games apiece, behind only Bird’s 367.
In the victory over the Wings, Gray ran the offense to near perfection, totaling 12 points and nine assists with a game-high plus-19 rating.
“She’s one of the most gifted passers I’ve ever seen, male or female,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “She just has that ‘it’ factor. Sees things before they develop. She had a couple (Thursday night) our own players didn’t even know they were open.”
At 33, Gray is closer to the end of her career than the beginning, but hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down as she chases her fifth championship. She won in Los Angeles in 2016 before signing with Las Vegas in 2022 and capturing three titles in four years.
“As long as I’m healthy, I’m rolling and I’m loving it,” Gray said. “Right now, I’m working on building a legacy for myself, family and building with this franchise.”
Stacking titles is one way of helping prove her case for the Hall and Fame, and Gray should continue moving up the assists ladder. Her 2003 assists is second behind Courtney Vandersloot’s 2,886 among active players. Vandersloot is second overall behind Bird’s 3,234.
“We don’t want to sleep on Chelsea’s greatness,” said Hammon, a Hall of Famer is who is 10th in league history with 1,708 assists. “What she does is really special and, in a way, generational.”
It’s not sheer numbers that define Gray’s impact on the court. She brings an entertainment value to playing point guard that fits in perfectly with the city she represents.
Be it behind-the-back passes or those of the no-look variety, Gray often produces assists that catch opponents flat-footed and leaves her own teammates in awe.
Gray delivered a dump-off pass in the fourth quarter against Dallas to Cheyenne Parker-Tyus that her teammate wasn’t expecting and became a turnover.
But Gray shrugged off the miscue and focused on the big picture.
“What are we in? June,” Gray said. “She’ll be ready for it in September, and that is my goal. I’m going to keep passing it so when you’re in that position when it’s Game 5 (in the playoffs) and it’s on the line and two people double, you’re ready for that pass. You build stock with each other.
“We’ll talk about it. I’ll be like, ‘See, that turnover needs to go in your column.’ But I’m going to keep giving her chances.”
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Mark Anderson, The Associated Press
