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2020 Tokyo Olympics | Touch of Gray
7/26/2021 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Chelsea Gray's Duke basketball career was characterized by a series of peaks and valleys, from ACC championships and all-star honors to a pair of devastating knee injuries.
The past five years of her pro career have followed a decidedly upward trajectory, culminating this summer with her selection to the USA Basketball women's national team for the Tokyo Olympics. She's one of the point guards on the 12-player American roster that is pursuing a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal.
"My path hasn't been the straight and narrow," she noted during a pre-Olympic training camp interview. "It's been some hills and obstacles to get where I am today, and I'm super proud of the hard work that I've put into this game. I'm excited to wrap USA across my chest and compete for a gold medal."
Gray ranks as one of the top players in Duke women's basketball history, earning spots on the All-ACC first team in 2012 and 2013, ACC co-player of the year honors in 2013 and multiple All-America citations. The Blue Devils enjoyed a 120-19 overall record during her four years, won three ACC regular season crowns and made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament three times.
Unfortunately, she was felled by serious injuries to her right knee midway through both her junior and senior seasons. The fracture she sustained in January 2014 also impacted her early pro career as she was sidelined for the entirety of what would have been her rookie WNBA season, after being selected with the No. 11 pick of the draft.
Gray then earned playing time as a backcourt reserve during the 2015 and 2016 WNBA campaigns and forged a break-through performance in the 2016 WNBA Finals to help lead the Los Angeles Sparks to the championship.
In the five years since, Gray has been a starter every season and a WNBA All-Star four times, while earning All-WNBA second team honors in 2017 and first team honors in 2019. She just keeps getting better and better, which led to her selection for Team USA.
"I learned a lot of hard lessons physically, now I'm taking that next step of what it means to be a professional," she said. "IQ-wise just learning the game, watching film, asking questions — there's another level. You think you are working hard at this level in college and then you get to the pros and you're kinda thinking outside yourself a lot. So I've been raising that bar for myself to constantly learn and be better in knowing the game."
Gray's WNBA career has featured plenty of highlight moments. She scored 11 consecutive points for the Sparks in the second half of their championship game victory over Minnesota in 2016. In 2017 she led the league in 3-point field goal percentage and dazzled Minnesota again in Game 1 of the Finals with 27 points and a game-winning shot with two seconds left (though the Lynx came back to win the series). In 2019 she posted her first triple-double, becoming only the ninth player in league history to do so.
After becoming a starter she averaged at least 14.0 points per game four straight years for the Sparks, then moved to the Las Vegas Aces as a free agent this year and is hitting over 11 points a game while ranking second in the league in assists.
Gray is the first former Duke women's player to suit up for Team USA at the Olympics. Hall of Famer Lindsey Harding played for Belarus in 2016, and former coach Gail Goestenkors was a USA assistant in 2004.
"When you talk about all the players that have come through Duke — Iciss Tillis, Lindsey Harding, Alana Beard — it's huge," she said. "I'm representing more than just myself and my family. I'm representing a university like Duke. And to be on that stage and know those Dukies are behind me, that means a lot.
"It's a testament to my journey at Duke as well — the injuries, the ups and downs. It was a rocky road but now with USA Basketball I'm able to represent the university like I wish I had been able to do if I didn't sustain those injuries my last two years at Duke. I'm just excited for this opportunity, I know Duke is behind me and I'm extremely grateful because there have been a lot of greats that have come through the program."
Gray also acknowledged that her college career provided solid prep for achieving at the pro level, even if she was derailed by injury.
"Playing at Duke you competed against the best and now it's no different. I'm thinking about games at Cameron or away, I was playing against Breanna Stewart (from UConn), Dawn Staley (the USA coach) coached opposite us (at South Carolina). You see familiar faces but you are competing at such a high level and against such great athletes. You already know that when you come into USA Basketball because I've already competed against them. Competing at a high level at Duke prepared me to be able to compete now.
"A lot of people wish they had this opportunity so I can't take it for granted," she added.
"Everybody is excited to be here and we have that one common goal and that's always the message. Dawn said it at our first practice — keep the main thing the main thing, and our main thing is going for a gold medal. To have that representation of everybody behind us back in America, it will be really exciting."
Credit: John Roth, GoDuke the Magazine
#GoDuke
The past five years of her pro career have followed a decidedly upward trajectory, culminating this summer with her selection to the USA Basketball women's national team for the Tokyo Olympics. She's one of the point guards on the 12-player American roster that is pursuing a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal.
"My path hasn't been the straight and narrow," she noted during a pre-Olympic training camp interview. "It's been some hills and obstacles to get where I am today, and I'm super proud of the hard work that I've put into this game. I'm excited to wrap USA across my chest and compete for a gold medal."
Gray ranks as one of the top players in Duke women's basketball history, earning spots on the All-ACC first team in 2012 and 2013, ACC co-player of the year honors in 2013 and multiple All-America citations. The Blue Devils enjoyed a 120-19 overall record during her four years, won three ACC regular season crowns and made the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament three times.
Unfortunately, she was felled by serious injuries to her right knee midway through both her junior and senior seasons. The fracture she sustained in January 2014 also impacted her early pro career as she was sidelined for the entirety of what would have been her rookie WNBA season, after being selected with the No. 11 pick of the draft.
Gray then earned playing time as a backcourt reserve during the 2015 and 2016 WNBA campaigns and forged a break-through performance in the 2016 WNBA Finals to help lead the Los Angeles Sparks to the championship.
In the five years since, Gray has been a starter every season and a WNBA All-Star four times, while earning All-WNBA second team honors in 2017 and first team honors in 2019. She just keeps getting better and better, which led to her selection for Team USA.
"I learned a lot of hard lessons physically, now I'm taking that next step of what it means to be a professional," she said. "IQ-wise just learning the game, watching film, asking questions — there's another level. You think you are working hard at this level in college and then you get to the pros and you're kinda thinking outside yourself a lot. So I've been raising that bar for myself to constantly learn and be better in knowing the game."
Gray's WNBA career has featured plenty of highlight moments. She scored 11 consecutive points for the Sparks in the second half of their championship game victory over Minnesota in 2016. In 2017 she led the league in 3-point field goal percentage and dazzled Minnesota again in Game 1 of the Finals with 27 points and a game-winning shot with two seconds left (though the Lynx came back to win the series). In 2019 she posted her first triple-double, becoming only the ninth player in league history to do so.
After becoming a starter she averaged at least 14.0 points per game four straight years for the Sparks, then moved to the Las Vegas Aces as a free agent this year and is hitting over 11 points a game while ranking second in the league in assists.
Gray is the first former Duke women's player to suit up for Team USA at the Olympics. Hall of Famer Lindsey Harding played for Belarus in 2016, and former coach Gail Goestenkors was a USA assistant in 2004.
"When you talk about all the players that have come through Duke — Iciss Tillis, Lindsey Harding, Alana Beard — it's huge," she said. "I'm representing more than just myself and my family. I'm representing a university like Duke. And to be on that stage and know those Dukies are behind me, that means a lot.
"It's a testament to my journey at Duke as well — the injuries, the ups and downs. It was a rocky road but now with USA Basketball I'm able to represent the university like I wish I had been able to do if I didn't sustain those injuries my last two years at Duke. I'm just excited for this opportunity, I know Duke is behind me and I'm extremely grateful because there have been a lot of greats that have come through the program."
Gray also acknowledged that her college career provided solid prep for achieving at the pro level, even if she was derailed by injury.
"Playing at Duke you competed against the best and now it's no different. I'm thinking about games at Cameron or away, I was playing against Breanna Stewart (from UConn), Dawn Staley (the USA coach) coached opposite us (at South Carolina). You see familiar faces but you are competing at such a high level and against such great athletes. You already know that when you come into USA Basketball because I've already competed against them. Competing at a high level at Duke prepared me to be able to compete now.
"A lot of people wish they had this opportunity so I can't take it for granted," she added.
"Everybody is excited to be here and we have that one common goal and that's always the message. Dawn said it at our first practice — keep the main thing the main thing, and our main thing is going for a gold medal. To have that representation of everybody behind us back in America, it will be really exciting."
Credit: John Roth, GoDuke the Magazine
#GoDuke
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