Hold On, Be Strong

LOS ANGELES SPARKS POINT GUARD CHELSEA GRAY OVERCAME TWO DEVASTATING KNEE INJURIES, A ROOKIE SEASON THAT SAW HER RIDE THE BENCH AND A TRADE TO BECOME ONE OF THE TOP FLOOR GENERALS IN THE WNBA.

THE L.A. SPARKS have a chance to steal Game 1 of the 2017 WNBA Finals in Minnesota. Six seconds on the clock. Down 84-83, Candace Parker turns to her point guard Chelsea Gray during the timeout.

“I’m going to you,” Parker says. “I got you.”

Parker inbounds the ball to Gray, who pivots and drives left. She gets to the left elbow and shoots a fadeaway over Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore.

Nylon. Ballgame.

“I had the mid-range game kind of flowing in that moment,” says the 25-year-old. “So it was kind of in-rhythm and it didn’t feel forced.”

The shot is still fresh in her mind. Two weeks prior to our interview, Gray became the hero of Game 1, finishing with a career-high 27 points. It’s a moment she’ll never forget.

Just like on January 12, 2014, when Gray fractured her right kneecap. A senior at Duke, Gray was returning to form after dislocating her right kneecap less than a year prior. Once considered a surefire lottery pick, she knew her career could be in jeopardy.