SAN FRANCISCO – For anyone who visited a basketball court around Oakland in the 2000s, there was a decent chance that a future WNBA all-star could be seen there, honing her skills.
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray was born in Hayward, but developed her sweet jump shot and preternatural feel for the game at basketball courts around The Town.
“My grandmother used to have one off 73rd (Street) and there was a middle school right there,” Gray remembered. “St. Elizabeth, my mom went to St. Elizabeth, so I would go there. And my dad went to McClymonds, so I was kind of everywhere.”
Fast forward a couple of decades, and the East Bay native with roots in the Central Valley played in front of friends and family from both areas at Chase Center on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s super dope,” Gray said. “The whole family is flying in from different areas, because they understand the moment for me.”
She scored 16 points, grabbed three rebounds and had an assist in the Valkyries’ 95-68 upset victory over Gray’s Aces.
Before the nationally televised matchup, Gray received rousing cheers from the Bay Area crowd, and it was not difficult to figure out why.
Gray estimated that she spent about 60% of her time in the East Bay, and the other portion around Manteca, because of her parents’ jobs.
While spending time in the Central Valley, the point guard – who is now a member of NBC’s pre- and post-game Kings TV coverage – enjoyed going to watch the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs.
Between her days shooting on Oakland rims, and rooting for and watching Ticha Penicheiro and the Monarchs, Gray became a hoops savant.
“What makes Chelsea great is her mind for the game, her vision for the game, you know, whether it’s NBA, WNBA, there’s very few players with vision like hers,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “She just has a gift. Nobody taught her that.”
Before becoming the Valkyries head coach, Natalie Nakase was an assistant on Hammon’s coaching staff and spent years working with Gray.
She agreed with Hammon’s assessment of Gray’s intellect.
“She’s probably one of the smartest basketball minds, men and women, in this world,” Nakase said.
That high-level understanding of the game was obvious at a young age.
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She averaged 16 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 5.1 steals while as a finalist for the 2010 Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior.
The star guard led the Rams to the Division III state championship in 2009 and 2010, was a McDonald’s All-American and honored on the Cal-Hi Sports all-state team.
The accolades have not stopped coming. Gray then went on to become an All-American as a collegiate superstar at Duke and later a WNBA star and champion with both the Sparks and Aces.
Gray has made six All-Star and three All-WNBA teams, and was the 2022 Finals MVP.
But through it all, she never forgot her Bay Area and NorCal roots.
“I wear it with pride,” Gray said. “I felt like I grew up in two areas, down the street in Oakland and then out in the valley. It shaped me as the person that I am, the way I move, the way I talk, the way I listen to music … everything.”
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