Allisha Gray wins skills and 3-point contest

PHOENIX — History was made during the 2024 WNBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix when Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream became the first player to win the skills competition and the 3-point contest in the same season.

And the festivities have only just begun.

Team USA, led by five-time Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi, takes on Team WNBA, featuring rising rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The U.S. women’s national team may have won seven straight gold medals, but Team WNBA coach Cheryl Miller said her All-Star squad won’t make it easy.

Before we look ahead to Saturday’s main event, we can’t overlook Friday’s historic performance. USA Today Sports recaps all the action from the sold-out Footprint Center in Phoenix.

Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray won the WNBA All-Star activities on Friday. After winning the skills challenge earlier in the evening, she defeated New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones in the 3-point challenge to become the first person in WNBA history to win both in the same season.

“It feels great. Another $55,000 in my pocket,” Gray said, referring to Aflac’s $55,000 bonus for each competition.

It came down to the final three-pointer.

Both Gray and Jones were hot and cold in the final round. Gray finished with 22 points, adding to the fatigue of competing in both events. Jones had a chance to match Gray’s score with her final ball, but it just missed the basket. Jones held her head in disappointment as she finished with 21 points.

“(Jones) made me nervous, I won’t deny that,” Gray admitted.

No Caitlin Clark or Sabrina Ionescu, no problem.

New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones scored 25 points during an impressive run in the first round of the 3-point contest, even hitting a Starry range ball for 3 points.

Jones will face Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray in the final round after Gray scored 23 points. Minnesota Lynx’s Kayla McBride (21), Washington Mystic’s Stephanie Dolson (20) and Connecticut Sun’s Marina Mabrey (19) rounded out the five participants.

Gray is pulling double duty, winning the skills challenge earlier that evening.

ESPN will broadcast the match and you can stream it live on the ESPN app, ESPN+, and on Fubo (free trial).

Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, the coach of Team WNBA, received a standing ovation on Friday. Miller was standing courtside watching Friday’s All-Star festivities when she was projected onto the Jumbotron. The sold-out crowd at Footprint Center immediately rose to their feet and applauded Miller, who served as the Phoenix Mercury’s first-ever head coach and general manager from 1997 to 2000.

Miller wore a black shirt that read “Equality in women’s sports” and on the back the words “We deserve to be here.”

LSU women’s basketball player Flau’jae Johnson was spotted on the sidelines in Phoenix cheering on former teammate Hailey Van Lith, who transferred to TCU in April after a season with the Tigers. Van Lith is a member of Team USA’s 3×3 basketball team, which also includes Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard. The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team competed in a 10-minute exhibition game at the Footprint Center on Friday ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Johnson’s former teammate Angel Reese will compete in the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday.

Phoenix Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham challenged the home crowd at the Footprint Center to bring energy for the final round of the WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge, where she went head-to-head with Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray.

“I thought you guys were a little quiet,” Cunningham told the crowd after her first round.

Fans cheered during the next lap. Although Cunningham struggled from behind the arc, she gained momentum in the back half and finished in 34.5 seconds, faster than her first lap time of 35.5 seconds.

Gray emphasized her speed and was out of the game quickly. She also struggled with her 3-point shots, but sprinted down the court for her outlet pass and layup to win with 32.1 seconds. She said she was tired from sprinting, but still came out on top.

Gray and Cunningham embraced after the game, and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert presented her with a trophy.

The timed obstacle course consists of three bounce passes, a chest pass, a 3-point shot from above the arc, an elbow jumper, a corner three, an outlet pass, speed dribbles and a final shot from anywhere on the court. The top two from the first round advance to the final.

Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner started the first round of the WNBA All-Star skills challenge with a time of 46.3 seconds. Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray made quick work of 3-pointers, finishing in 31.2 seconds. Marina Mabrey, who was traded from the Chicago Sky to the Connecticut Sun earlier this week, finished in 35.7 seconds, knocking Griner out of the competition. Mabrey could have finished earlier if not for a couple of mistakes, including one where she missed the ball handle on her final shot. It came back to haunt her. Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham narrowly edged out Mabrey for the final spot in the finals by finishing in 35.5 seconds.

Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell, competing in place of Erica Wheeler, struggled from the 3-point line and failed to complete the obstacle course in time. She was disqualified.

Here are the guidelines for Friday’s event, from a WNBA press release:

The three-point shooters will compete in the two-round, timed competition with ball racks positioned at five key shooting locations around the three-point arc. Four of the racks will contain four official WNBA game balls worth one point each and one “money” ball worth two points.

The fifth rack is a special “all money ball” rack with each ball worth two points. In addition, two ball pedestals are placed at deep shot locations called “The Starry Range.” Each pedestal holds one special ball known as the “Starry” ball; shots made with the special ball are worth three points. The two players with the highest scores in the first round advance to the finals.

Jonquel Jones, Freedom of New York
Stefanie Dolson, Washington Mystics
Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Marina Mabrey, Connecticut Sun

The winner of the WNBA All-Star skills challenge and 3-point contest will be laughing all the way to the bank after Aflac raised the stakes.

Seattle Storm All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, who has been president of the WNBA Players Association since 2016, announced Thursday that the insurance company will give a $55,000 bonus to each winner, a huge jump from the $2,575 the league gives winners under the WNBA collective bargaining agreement.

“I think it’s great that Aflac has stepped up and really shown their investment. Hopefully (led by) setting an example for so many other organizations and companies that want to invest and partner,” Ogwumike said during Friday’s media appearance. “I wish it had been done in a way where players were already aware of it, but they stepped up anyway.”

Breanna Stewart had a message for Friday’s participants: “Take that money!”

It was a shock to fans to see that Clark was not listed as a participant in the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest. She said Friday that she was invited, but ultimately decided to sit out the game to prioritize rest.

“I’ve been playing basketball for a year. It’s not easy to just show up and shoot off a rack. I’ve never done that before. I haven’t had a lot of time to practice. I’ve been helping my team win games. I think I’m just enjoying this break. There will be plenty of opportunities to do that at some point.”

New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu won the title during the 2023 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. Ionescu was nearly perfect in her final run, making 25 of 27 three-pointers and scoring 37 of 40 possible points. That is an all-time record for both the NBA and WNBA.

Ionescu also faced Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry during NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis in February, narrowly losing, scoring 26 points to Curry’s 29.

And as for advice? “Try to focus. One shot at a time. I think it can be overwhelming when you know everyone is shooting. There are some great shooters this year. The crowd is usually very involved. It’s basically just you and the basket. Just try not to think too much about how many shots you’re going to take,” Ionescu said Friday. “Enjoy it. You have to have fun.”

Ionescu was invited to defend her All-Star 3-point title, but she ultimately opted out to focus on Team USA, where she will make her Olympic debut in Paris.

“Being able to represent my country is something I have dreamed of since I was young,” Ionescu told media on Friday.

Indiana Fever’s Erica Wheeler took to social media Friday to express her disappointment about missing the game. Despite the best efforts of Delta Airlines and the Indiana Fever, Wheeler explained that she was unable to find a flight to Phoenix in time for Friday’s game at Footprint Center.

“I am so hurt!” Wheeler wrote on X, adding a heartbreak emoji to another post.

Kelsey Mitchell, Wheeler’s teammate on the Fever, will replace her. Mitchell was spotted warming up for the skills challenge in Wheeler’s No. 17 jersey. In addition to Mitchell, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston were named Fever All-Stars.

This year’s WNBA All-Star Game is unlike any other.

Not only because the All-Stars will face the U.S. Women’s National Team, which will represent the country at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (which hasn’t happened since the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo), but also because this will be the first All-Star game where fans will get to see young superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

View the full TV schedule and playlists here.

It pays to play in the WNBA All-Star game. Under the WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, All-Star game participants earn $2,575 each. The All-Star Game MVP gets another $5,150. Participants in the Skills Competition and 3-point contest each get $1,030, while the winners earn $2,575 from the league.

Team USA and a team of WNBA All-Stars face off on Saturday night. Who has the best chance to win?

Check out these WNBA All-Star Game predictions and WNBA All-Star predictions for Team USA vs. Team WNBA, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC (stream with free trial via FUBO).

Team USA is a 6.5-point favorite over Team WNBA in the WNBA All-Star Game odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Team USA has a moneyline of -260, while Team WNBA has a moneyline of +215.