South Carolina basketball alum to participate in 3-point contest, skills challenge

The WNBA All-Star Game is this Saturday, July 20th in Phoenix, Arizona. The All-Star break already has started, and with the Summer Olympics Games starting soon, there will not be another WNBA contest until after the Games are over. That means that this weekend will be the last chance to catch the W stars in action. That also means that South Carolina basketball alum Allisha Gray has the chance to make history.

The former Gamecock guard and National Champion was voted into her second WNBA All-Star Game and will play for Team WNBA against Team USA (the squad that will represent the nation in the Olympics this summer). However, she also will take part in both the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge, making for a busy weekend.

Only Sabrina Ionescu and Becky Hammon have won both events, but neither brought home trophies for the two competitions in the same year, meaning that Gray could become the first to do so. She will compete against Stefanie Dolson, Jonquel Jones, Marina Mabrey, and Kayla McBride in the 3-Point Contest and against Sophie Cunningham, Brittney Griner, Marina Mabrey, and Erica Wheeler in the Skills Challenge.

On the 2024 season, Allisha Gray is averaging 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 36% from behind the 3-point arc, one of just five players in the league to reach those statistical benchmarks this season.

Gray is one of three former South Carolina basketball stars who made the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, joining A'ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston. Wilson will play for Team USA this weekend, while Gray and Boston will play for Team USA. Last year, the three All-Stars all played on the same team during All-Star Game weekend.

The Skills Challenge will begin on Friday, July 19th at 6:00 PM ET, and the 3-Point Contest will begin at the conclusion of the Skills Challenge. Both will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app. The All-Star Game will be held the next day on Saturday, July 20th at 8:30 PM ET. It will be broadcast on ABC and streamed on the ESPN app.