Chelsea Gray Reflects on the Olympics and Looks Ahead to Women’s Basketball

Chelsea Gray has accomplished nearly everything there is in basketball Las Vegas Aces star boasts three WNBA championships Finals MVP title four Allstar selections and multiple all WNBA honors following team USA's victory in Paris she can now add two-time Olympic gold medalist to her impressive resume gray clenched her first gold medal in Tokyo 3 years ago but covid-19 restrictions prevented her family from traveling to see her play this year however her loved ones were in the stands at paris's bery Arena cheering as she and her teammates secured an eighth consecutive Olympic title us my son witnessing that was incredible gray shared with CNN sport achieving my dream and seeing young kids look at the Olympics and see someone who looks like them reaching the highest level possible it's an amazing feeling being one of 12 on that team something I'll never take for granted she continued moments like these are irreplaceable having my parents younger brother and wife there made all the hard work feel worthwhile wow this really just happened heading into the women's gold medal game on August August 11th Team USA was riding a 60-game Olympic winning streak dating back to the 1992 Barcelona games that streak was tested as the game unfolded facing them was a motivated French team inspired by their male counterparts narrow lost to LeBron James us Squad in the men's final French booed by a passionate home crowd even built a 10-point lead in the third quarter against a star studded us lineup featuring AJ Wilson Brianna Stewart and Diana tasi despite trailing Team USA rallied to take a two-point lead lead into the final period game remained tightly contested until the very end with 3 seconds left Kalia copper sank two clutch free throws to give the US a 67-64 lead Francis Gabby Williams then launched a deep three-pointer at the buzzer but her foot was on the line and the shot counted for just two points gray admitted the final moments were a mix of joy and relief it was an intense final minute with huge plays being made and knew Williams shot was a two from where I was she said it was an exciting feeling of wow this just happened and I'm a two-time gold medalist team USA's Legacy in the Quest for a WNBA 3pak the victory marked team USA's record extending eighth consecutive Olympic gold I think it's time to talk about it gray said of considering the US Women's team as the greatest basketball Dynasty it's worth discussing while it's still happening returning to WNBA play quickly after the Olympics gray and her aces are focused on continuing their success the WNBA season resumed just days after the gold medal game and adapting to domestic play from International competition is a challenge as athletes especially in the WNBA we're professional compartmentalizes gray explained we shift our focus in chemistry between teams and games the aces are vying for their third consecutive Championship feat only previously achieved by the Houston Comets from 1997 to 2000 winning the first championship was hard second was even tougher and now the challenge is even greater gray noted currently sitting at 1812 with a star studded roster including Gray's us teammates Kelsey plung Jack young and two-time MVP Aja Wilson aces are determined to secure a three- Peak the growing Spotlight on women's basketall popularity of women's sports including basketball is on the rise Torina Williams recently highlighted this Surge and the WNBA has seen record viewership and attendance this season the visibility is crucial gray said people can see us now easier to find and follow women's basketball and the audience is growing much of the current attention is focused on the 2024 rookie class led by number one pick Caitlyn Clark whose debut attracted Ed the largest WNBA audience in two decades other standout rookies like Angel Ree and Cameron Brink have also contributed to the League's growing popularity gray emphasizes the importance of acknowledging those who paved the way the rise in viewership is also thanks to the players who came before he said with the WNBA expanding to 14 teams including the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and a Toronto team in 2026 Ray is thrilled having a team in the Bay Area is something I've hoped for since I was young she said now kids in that area will have a WNBA team right in their backyard