Allisha Gray claimed victory in the WNBA All-Star skills competition, defeating local favorite Sophie Cunningham in the finals on Friday night.
The Atlanta Dream standout posted the quickest time in the preliminary round and followed up with a slightly slower performance in the final round. She narrowly outpaced Cunningham in the obstacle course, which tests passing, dribbling, and shooting, finishing in 32.1 seconds.
Both Gray and Cunningham faced challenges with their 3-point shots during the finals. However, Gray relied on her speed to beat Cunningham’s time of 34.2 seconds.
“It was a lot of fun,” Gray commented. “Being here is refreshing. You’re focused, but it’s more relaxed.”
Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever stepped in last minute for her teammate Erica Wheeler, who couldn’t make it to Phoenix due to widespread technological issues causing flight delays worldwide on Friday.
Mitchell, wearing Wheeler’s jersey, did not advance to the finals.
“I’m excited about it,” Mitchell said. “I don’t know how I’ll do compared to Erica, but I’ll do my best to represent the Fever and enjoy the competition.”
Cunningham’s teammate Brittney Griner also participated, representing the post players. She completed the course in 46.3 seconds.
Marina Mabrey, newly traded to Connecticut from Chicago, wore a Sun jersey for the first time. Both Mabrey and Gray took part in both the skills competition and the 3-point shootout, with Mabrey narrowly missing the skills competition finals.
