Gray beats Cunningham to win WNBA All-Star skills competition

PHOENIX (AP) — Allisha Gray won the WNBA All-Star skills competition, defeating hometown favorite Sophie Cunningham in the finals Friday night.

The Atlanta Dream star had the fastest time in the preliminary round and then was just one second slower in the final round. She edged Cunningham on the obstacle course that combines passing, dribbling and shooting, finishing in 32.1 seconds.

Both Gray and Cunningham struggled in the finals from the 3-point line, but the Dream guard was able to use his speed to beat the Mercury star’s 34.2 time.

“It’s definitely fun,” Gray said. “Being here is a breath of fresh air. You’re still stuck, but it’s more of a fun atmosphere.”

Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell was a last-minute replacement for her Fever teammate Erica Wheeler. Wheeler was unable to make it to Phoenix because of the botched software update that wreaked technological havoc around the world on Friday and delayed flights.

The Fever guard was flying from Atlanta to Phoenix, but her flight was first delayed and then canceled. She said in a tweet that Pacers CEO Mel Raines tried to get her a charter flight to the All-Star festivities, but nothing was available shortly.

Mitchell, who was wearing Wheeler’s jersey, did not qualify for the final.

“I’m excited about it,” Mitchell said in the video. “I don’t know how I’m going to do compared to Erica, but for her, I’m going to make sure I keep her down, keep the Fever organization trying to win this thing and have fun with it.”

Cunningham’s teammate Brittney Griner was also at the event, representing the position players. She went first and completed the course in 46.3 seconds.

Marina Mabrey, who was traded from Chicago to Connecticut on Wednesday, wore a Sun jersey for the first time. Mabrey and Gray were the only players to participate in both the skill contest and 3-point conversions. Mabrey just missed out on reaching the finals of the skills competition.

Gray receives $2,575 from the league under the collective bargaining agreement, but will also receive $55,000 from Aflac as part of a partnership with the WNBPA.

Gray initially said he might use the $55,000 to start a new business, but changed his mind now that the money is on hand.

“Now that I think about it, I slept well, maybe I’ll go play a little golf, go shopping,” Gray said with a smile.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press