Michael Voepel, ESPN.comOct 15, 2023, 08:08 PM ET
CloseMichael Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
NEW YORK — Point guard Chelsea Gray has missed just one game since joining the Las Vegas Aces in 2021 — last season. But her status for Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty may be in doubt after she left Game 3 Sunday with an apparent foot injury.
Gray, who was the WNBA Finals MVP last season, was injured on a non-contact play in the fourth quarter and was left hobbling after that. She went to the Aces bench with just over 4 minutes left and did not return to the game.
The Liberty won 87-73, making the best-of-five series 2-1 Aces. Las Vegas was going for the sweep but now may have to win Game 4 without Gray, an All-Star and Olympian. Aces coach Becky Hammon said after the game she didn’t know Gray’s status but did talk about what Las Vegas would need to do if she couldn’t play.
Hammon said Kelsey Plum would mostly run the point, with help from Jackie Young. One of the Aces’ strengths is the ability of all three starting guards to play point guard. But Gray, who came to Las Vegas as a free agent in 2021 after winning a championship with Los Angeles in 2016, generally handles that position and is considered one of the best players in the league. She was named to the All-WNBA second team earlier Sunday.
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“She’s our point guard,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “She’s our leader.”
“We [could] do it by committee,” Hammon said. “I don’t think there’s any one person that’s going to step up and fill her shoes. Everybody steps up and does a little bit more.”
Gray, 31, averaged 15.3 points and 7.3 assists during the regular season for the Aces, the No. 1 seed. She played all 40 games, averaging 32.2 minutes. During the playoffs, she was averaging 16.3 points and 7.4 assists coming into Sunday’s game, where she finished with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting and two assists in 34 minutes.
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said New York wouldn’t change anything about getting ready for Game 4 based on Gray’s status.
“When someone goes down, someone else will step up,” Brondello said. “Our mindset is more about what we need to do to get ready for Wednesday. If Chelsea plays or she doesn’t play, our preparation won’t change.”
The Aces had just 13 assists Sunday to 28 by the Liberty, who were led by Sabrina Ionescu’s 11.
“First, prayers to her,” Ionescu said of Gray. “As an athlete, that’s your worst nightmare — going down with an injury. We’re all praying for her to be OK and hoping it was nothing too serious.
“But we’re not looking forward on that. We just have to focus on ourselves, understanding they’re a great team with or without her.”