Pieces of confetti were still resting on Chelsea Gray’s shoulder.

It was March in Miami, and she’d just been crowned the Finals MVP after helping the Rose BC win a championship in the debut season of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league.

But in the peak of celebrating her offseason accomplishments, the veteran point guard was asked a question that called back to the scrutiny she received amid her injury-impacted 2024 campaign with the Aces: “What do you want people to say about Chelsea Gray now?”

Gray, urged to not be humble by the group of teammates surrounding the trophy next to her, hesitated before confirming she’d heard all of the chatter.

“Keep that same energy. I got the receipts,” Gray said.

It almost seemed as if those receipts had taken too much real estate in the 32-year-old’s mind when the Aces’ 2025 season began in May. Or worse, she’d lost the it-factor that led WNBA legend Candace Parker to nickname Gray the “Point Gawd.”

But now, with the Aces extending the WNBA’s longest active winning streak to eight games by defeating the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, those concerns have quelled.

Gray has gone from taking uncharacteristic shots and having too many turnovers to consistently delivering the highlight plays that led to her signature camera reel celebration. In turn, the Aces (22-14) have moved from as low as eighth in the WNBA standings to one game back of the No. 4 spot, which comes with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“I think (Gray) looks like herself,” coach Becky Hammon said following Tuesday’s win. “She looked different at the beginning of the season because she wasn’t being Chelsea Gray. She looks like Chelsea Gray now.”

The numbers back Hammon’s words up.

Gray, before the Aces’ winning streak, was averaging 4.5 assists per game. She’s averaging 7.4 assists per game since. She even tied the franchise record for assists in a game with 14 against the Dallas Wings on Sunday.

Gray also hasn’t had more than two turnovers in her last five appearances.

Building chemistry

Despite those stats, Gray doesn’t buy that she regressed before and is surging now.

She said at the beginning of the season she felt fit and fully recovered from the foot injury that caused her to miss the final game of the 2023 WNBA Finals — which the Aces still won to clinch their second consecutive championship — and the first 12 games of the 2024 campaign.

Gray, when asked Tuesday if she felt any different the last few games or if it was just the media, was ready with a response.

“Yeah, it’s just y’all,” Gray said. “It’s not just me, it’s everybody getting to know each other, and it’s on both ends of the floor. … I think there’s a bit of a better flow. I’m in better shape. You want to be playing your best in August and September, as a team and individually, and that’s what you’re starting to see from me.”

The Aces added guard Jewell Loyd this offseason, then moved her out of the starting lineup in July in favor of forward Kierstan Bell. The team also added forward NaLyssa Smith via trade in June.

It took time for Gray and the rest of the group to develop chemistry.

Three-time WNBA A’ja Wilson, who is on the receiving end of many of Gray’s assists, said the Aces have been able to spend more time together since the All-Star break. They even visited an escape room together in Phoenix when they were in town for a game against the Mercury on Aug. 15.

“We may not have a lot of practice time, but when it comes to our plane rides, or just when we get to a city, we continue to build that camaraderie,” Wilson said. “And I think a lot of people expected it to click right off the bat, but that’s just not the way it goes sometimes. We really had to get acclimated to one another.”

Back to being Chelsea

Hammon’s perspective is different. She believes Gray’s turnaround comes from returning to what she knows best.

“I think Chelsea knew she wasn’t being Chelsea,” Hammon said. “She’s authentically a giver. She’s authentically a leader. She’s authentically someone who gives joy and gets everybody else involved. … This is the Chelsea we all know and love and the person who brings the building up to its feet.”

That much was clear when Gray gave Wilson the confidence to shoot what turned out to be the game-winning basket Tuesday. Or when Gray had a crucial steal and block on Mercury forward Satou Sabally to seal the Aces’ 86-83 win in Phoenix.

“That’s why she is so great at what she does. To have that ability to do that in clutch time, it takes a lot out of you, but she shows up every single day, and it just trickles down to us,” Wilson said. “I play with a lot of peace, because I have Chelsea as my point guard, and particularly in the fourth (quarter).”

Gray, listed at 5-foot-11, even held her own defensively against Dream center Brittney Griner on Tuesday, an example of how she’s contributed to the Aces’ winning streak in all sorts of different ways.

“She guards bigs as good as anybody,” Hammon said. “But when she distributes the ball — it’s just interesting. Because the passes have gotten fancier, but it’s been more simple plays. … We’re a different team with her leading like that.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.