Earlier this week, South Carolina basketball had two former Gamecock greats announced as starters for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game. Aja Wilson was the leading vote-getter for the entire league and will serve as the captain for one of the two teams in the exhibition matchup. Aliyah Boston, though just a rookie, also was voted in as a starter for the July 15th event.
Now, a third former South Carolina basketball star is joining Wilson and Boston.
Part of the 2017 National Championship squad, Allisha Gray, who played her final season in Columbia after playing for two seasons at North Carolina, was selected by the WNBA coaches as an All-Star reserve. After being the 4th overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, she has put together a nice professional career, and this All-Star Game selection will be her first.
On the season, Gray is averaging 18.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game, and is the primary offensive engine for the Atlanta Dream (coincidentally, also the home of former Gamecock forward and fellow National Champion Laeticia Amihere who was picked in the 1st round of the 2023 WNBA Draft).
As a reserve for the All-Star Game, Gray will have her name put into the pool of players to be picked before the game. The two captains, Aja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, will pick teams playground style, first choosing between the 8 other starters (including Aliyah Boston) and then choosing from the 12 reserves.
The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will be played on Saturday, July 15th at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas (home of Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces) at 8:30 EST. The exhibition matchup will be broadcast on ABC and the ESPN App.
The All-Star Game Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take place the day before on July 14th. Participants will be announced at a later time.