{"id":702147,"date":"2026-06-13T18:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T18:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/702147\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T18:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T18:34:10","slug":"exclusive-life-in-wnba-came-fast-for-sparks-rookie-chance-gray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/702147\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Life in WNBA came fast for Sparks\u2019 rookie Chance Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"

The very first time Los Angeles Sparks<\/a> rookie guard Chance Gray stepped foot on a WNBA court for the regular season, she found herself matched up against the Las Vegas Aces\u2019 championship duo of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t get any easier in the second game of her early career when it was Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell on the opposite side. And then to top off the first week of her rookie season, she had back-to-back to games facing off against Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes, the self-proclaimed<\/a>, \u2018don\u2019t look forward to\u2019 players.<\/p>\n

Every player experiences their \u2018Welcome to the WNBA\u2019 moment<\/a> at various during their rookie season. For Gray, this was it. Having to defend some of the best guards in the league as a way to jump start her career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been crazy having to guard some of these people that I\u2019ve grown up watching and been a fan of,\u201d Gray told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. \u201cBut it\u2019s been a blessing. I feel like if I can start off my career guarding them, it can only get better from here. So I\u2019ll just keep working as hard as I can, trying to get better and taking the opportunity to give my coaches trust that I can defend these type of players.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the Sparks figuring out lineups and rotations and trying to establish consistency from the second unit, head coach Lynne Roberts chose to essentially throw Chance Gray into the fire from the get-go of her rookie year. The Sparks went 1-3 to start the year, but Gray\u2019s defense stood out.<\/p>\n

It was back during training camp where Roberts was first impressed by what she saw from the rookie guard on the defensive end.<\/p>\n

\u201cChance has been a great surprise in that regard. A lot of times with college players, they come in and the offense comes easier than the defense, but she just has a way of keeping the ball in front of her,\u201d Roberts said back on May 13 before the Sparks\u2019 second game of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the first day of training camp we were conscious like, \u2018oh wow, she can defend.\u2019 She went out there and actually stood up Chelsea Gray. It\u2019s a big moment for a rookie to stand up the \u2018Point God.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Chance Gray\u2019s defensive impact
\"LosJaime Valdez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Going back to her days at both Oregon and Ohio State, Gray carved out a role as a defensive stopper on the perimeter. With the Ducks, she was named as a Pac-12 All Defensive Team Honorable Mention. With the Buckeyes, she continued to improve her perimeter defense.<\/p>\n

And now with the Sparks, she\u2019s learned that one of the quickest ways to playing time is by making a consistent impact in making things harder for opposing offensive players. That as well as fitting in with the team\u2019s primary scoring options.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve made it a focal point, that\u2019s the way I can carve out minutes on the floor being with All-Stars,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I try to make my focus. Every time I go out there, I try to guard the best player on the floor if that\u2019s the matchup they have for me. That\u2019s what it\u2019s been the last couple of games so I\u2019ve just been making that a focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking at Gray\u2019s early play, she is without a doubt a legitimate WNBA rotation player who has a place on this Sparks\u2019 team. But one month ago, that wasn\u2019t a certainty. It wasn\u2019t because she wasn\u2019t good enough for the league, far from it. It\u2019s just the nature of trying to make a WNBA roster.<\/p>\n

The added expansion teams and the introduction of developmental contracts have somewhat eased the difficulty of securing a coveted roster spot, but it\u2019s still a tough situation for many young players and rookies, entering the WNBA for the first time.<\/p>\n

Gray knew the situation she was coming in to once training camp rolled around, and she reached out to a fellow Buckeye for pointers on how she could make herself standout.<\/p>\n

\u201cI texted Kelsey Mitchell before camp and I was like, \u2018what\u2019s your advice?\u2019 I wanted to make the team, I wasn\u2019t just coming here to be cut. I wanted to try to have a chance at this roster,\u201d Gray said. \u201cI took it one day at a time and just tried to stay as humble as I could. So I was very well prepared going into camp and just made it a focal point every day to be the first one in and be the last one out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chance Gray\u2019s developing offense
\"Washington,Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

In addition to her defense, Gray brought an offensive skill-set to the Sparks that was much-needed coming into the season. In college, she was known for being able to consistently knock down outside shots. She thrived off catch-and-shoot opportunities and during her senior year at Ohio State, she shot a career-best 40.5 percent from 3-point range.<\/p>\n

In the WNBA, her percentages have quite caught up to her yet, but she\u2019s had a couple of games already where she\u2019s knocked down multiple 3-point shots at an efficient rate. During the Sparks\u2019 recent road trip to the East Coast with games against the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun, Gray shot 4-of-7 from the 3-point line.<\/p>\n

Outside of that mini-stretch, the jumpers just haven\u2019t as fallen consistently for her as they did in college, but Roberts and her teammates trust her to take those shots. Gray knows being able to knock down the open 3-ball consistently is one of the best ways she can fit alongside the Sparks\u2019 other scoring threats, as well as attack the heightened defensive pressure that comes with being in the WNBA.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust run my lanes, keep space and if they get me the ball, shoot the ball. That\u2019s what my job is to do. I don\u2019t have to do anything special on this team, we have people to do that so I\u2019m just gonna be the best fit for them,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThe WNBA is a lot more physical, that\u2019s something I have in my film every day. That and making decisions under a lot more fast-paced pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Gray is more of a traditional shooting guard, she\u2019s not averse to handling the ball and being a playmaker. In Roberts\u2019 early rotations, Gray has kind of become the default point guard off the bench with Erica Wheeler in the starting lineup alongside Kelsey Plum.<\/p>\n

Roberts often plays a strict nine-player rotation with third-year wing Kate Martin and rookie Jihyun Park alternating in that final spot. Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell are the other players part of the second unit, leaving Gray to be best ball-handler of the regular reserves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it helps me a lot. I played point guard my sophomore year at Oregon. And then I had Jaloni Cambridge [at Ohio State] so I moved off the ball a little bit. But I think it\u2019s great because in ball screen pick-and-roll, I can pass and I have vision,\u201d Gray said. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t know that I have that just because I\u2019m known as a shooter \u2026 but I have the ability to pass and move the bal, share the ball and relocate without the ball. So I think it\u2019s helped me a lot just to be in different systems and playing with different people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The night of the WNBA Draft, one of the biggest things that impressed the Sparks\u2019 brass the most about Gray was her work ethic. Work ethic is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but Gray truly embodies it. Roberts loves to recall Gray\u2019s initial reaction<\/a>, or lack thereof, to being selected as the team\u2019s introduction to how she would translate to the league.<\/p>\n

When the Sparks were up at No. 24 and drafted Gray, she had no idea what had just transpired. She was oblivious to the fact that her name was called because she was in the gym at that very moment getting shots up. Now that she\u2019s in the WNBA, that mentality has manifested with trying to pick the minds of the Sparks\u2019 leaders as much as she can.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s in a good learning situation on veteran-heavy team and she plans to take full advantage as her rookie year progresses.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to learn, I just want to soak up as much as I can. I don\u2019t think any rookie could be in a better situation than me,\u201d Gray said. \u201cWe have some of the best vets, we\u2019re playing with some of the best players in the world, in this country. So I just want to learn and soak up as much as I can about how they prep for games, how they practice, how they play, how they lead. That can take me a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The very first time Los Angeles Sparks rookie guard Chance Gray stepped foot on a WNBA court for the regular season, she found herself matched up against the Las Vegas Aces\u2019 championship duo of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. It didn\u2019t get any easier in the second game of her early career when it was Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell on the opposite side.<\/p>\n