After hitting a clutch three to win the 1-on-1 tournament, Chelsea Gray embraced teammates Shakira Austin and Jackie Young and Rose head coach Nola Henry and sank to the floor, visibly exhausted. Her opponent, Allisha Gray, was no less exhausted after three thrilling matchups. After the final, Allisha Gray suggested that players should get more timeouts in the finals.
“I wish we had two timeouts instead of one,” Gray said. “I feel like that could be a rule that they could change in the future, especially for Game 3, just giving us two timeouts instead of one because we both were gassed. Both of us playing three, four games in a row, I feel like in the final round, we should at least have two timeouts because those games weren’t easy. Every game was a battle.”
Chelsea Gray and Allisha Gray had a tiring but rewarding day
Chelsea Gray and Allisha Gray had to play the semifinals and the finals on the same day. Chelsea Gray took down Kelsey Plum 12-8 in a game that lasted just over six minutes to advance to the finals. Allisha Gray battled Aliyah Boston for four minutes and eventually got the 12-10 win.
Then, they moved on to the finals—a best-of-three series to seven points. The first game was over fairly quickly. Allisha Gray scored seven straight points in under two minutes. The second game didn’t last much longer. Chelsea Gray won the game 8-3 when the clock hit 2:06.
Game 3 was much more intense. It lasted almost eight minutes before ending on a clutch three from Chelsea Gray. Both players’ exhaustion was evident in the second half of the matchup, as shots were short and layups didn’t fall anymore. Allisha Gray took a 6-2 lead at the 1:35 mark. Chelsea Gray scored two points and cut the score to 4-6 about ten seconds later. The next basket fell about six minutes later at the 7:51 mark.
Financially, the exhaustion of the final round was well worth it, though. As the new 1-on-1 champion, Chelsea Gray won $200,000. Allisha Gray won $50,000, and Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Plum earned $25,000 each for making it to the semifinals.
Allisha Gray also said after the game that the tournament was great for her confidence, she was proud of her effort, and that she’s not mad at losing to the Point Gawd. For Chelsea Gray, this was another addition to a crazy run that started in last year’s Unrivaled season. Coming off a disappointing WNBA season, Gray carried the Rose to the 2025 Unrivaled Championship and was named Finals MVP. Then, she helped the Aces win another WNBA championship. Now, she is also the reigning 1-on-1 champion.