Gray and Parker Get 1st Career WNBA All-Star Nods
By: Jameelah Johnson
It’s been a long time coming for Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker. The duo will make their first WNBA All-Star appearance of their careers on July 15 in Las Vegas.
Gray entered her seventh year in the WNBA with her new team in Atlanta while Parker is going on her ninth year.
“For me, it was like a sense of relief, like…finally. It’s been a long journey. Been working hard,” Gray remarked before their matchup against the Sparks. “To finally be able to be called an All-Star is a great feeling.”
“A sense of relief. A sense of gratitude for just all the time put in and grind to become one. Amazing feeling. Amazing feeling. A feeling that is really hard to explain,” Parker reflected on receiving the news that she’d been selected.
The two had already received the news when they were surprised with videos at Saturday’s practice. The whole team was watching Gray’s highlights from Friday’s game when her parents popped up on the screen announcing the All-Star selection.
“That was a personal goal of mine, coming into the season to be an All-Star so when I finally got the call from Cathy (Engelbert – WNBA Commissioner)…she was like ‘Hey, it’s Cathy Engelbert.’ I was like, ‘No way.’ So that’s when it made it real,” Gray recounted with a chuckle.
Aari McDonald can be seen in the videos for both of her teammates, almost on the verge of tears, filled with happiness.
“I don’t know, I’m kind of biased because I think they’ve been having an amazing season so far but I was like, in my mind they deserve to be All-Stars,” McDonald on their selection not being a surprise. “But when I saw the videos of their loved ones telling them, it was like the icing on the cake.”
That moment was what solidified it for Parker as well. Her fiancé and their 18-month old daughter were on the big screen, and that was enough to make everything set in. Parker said Saturday was when the reality hit her, “Just immediate tears of joy and just knowing that they were there through everything. It made it very emotional.”
“I was trying not to cry. And I was trying not to look at Nia (Coffey) because Nia was crying, you couldn’t see her (in the videos). I was like ‘Let me not look at you because I will bust out into tears,’” McDonald expressed how much this meant to the entire team.
“I think it just goes to show how close we are and how connected. You know, throughout the year, I feel like we’ve talked about having three All-Stars and Rhyne (Howard) is in that conversation, even if it’s not on paper and she’s not going to the game. Just super happy for them and just the work that they put in and how hard they are on themselves to get themselves to that point,” Naz Hillmon commented on seeing her teammates recognized for their accolades following the win against Los Angeles.
Gray is currently averaging 18.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.0 spg. Parker is averaging 14.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.5 spg and 1.3 bpg and 1.3 apg.
The 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game will be held in Las Vegas, Nev. at Michelob ULTRA Arena, tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) nationally on ABC.