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A’ja Wilson scores 22 points for Team USA in 2024 WNBA All-Star game

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South Carolina basketball legend A’ja Wilson is off to a strong start in her seventh year in the league, with Wilson scoring 22 points for Team USA in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game before heading to the Olympics.

As Wilson made two free throws with 30 seconds left, the crowd began to chant, “MVP! MVP! MVP!” on Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. While Wilson didn’t win the All-Star MVP award with Team USA losing 117-109, she is the clear favorite to win her third MVP award this season.

Wilson, making her sixth All-Star appearance, had 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. She went 2-for-3 from 3-point range and played 29 minutes as a starter for Team USA.

Wilson got off to a hot start with seven points in the first quarter, three of which came from wide-open 3-pointers. She has established herself as a threat from behind the arc this season, shooting a career-best 39.5% from 3-point range on 1.6 attempts per game.

The two-time WNBA champion is playing in her second Olympics this summer after winning gold with Team USA in Tokyo. Wilson entered the Olympic break leading the league in scoring (27.2 points), rebounding (12) and blocks (2.9). She also ranks fifth in the league in steals (1.9) and leads the WNBA in PER (35.7) and win shares (7).

Allisha Gray is the first WNBA player to win a skills and 3-point contest in the same year

Former Gamecocks star Allisha Gray got a big payday on Friday and made history when she became the first WNBA player to win both the skills competition and the 3-point contest.

She also won $115,150 for winning both games thanks to a sponsorship from Aflac, which wrote $55,000 checks to the winners of both games. Gray, who is also playing in the All-Star game for Team WNBA, earned both checks and the $5,150 awarded by the league. The Atlanta Dream guard earned 62.2 percent of her $185,000 salary.

Gray demolished the skills challenge, finishing in a time of 32.1 seconds, beating Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham by 2.7 seconds in the final round. Gray’s 3-point contest victory was not without drama, as New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones lost by just one point, missing her final shot. Gray hit 15 shots in the final and won by 22 points.

Allisha Gray scores double figures for Team WNBA

Gray wasn’t selected as a starter for Team WNBA, but it didn’t matter. She still led the team in scoring off the bench in the first half, with 12 points in 13 minutes by halftime. She went 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the first half, two of them coming on the back of a hard foul by Wilson, who sent Gray to the ground as she tried to block her layup.

Gray finished with 16 points, five steals, three assists and three rebounds in her second All-Star appearance of her career. She is averaging 15.5 points on 42.3% shooting, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.4 minutes per game for the Dream.

Aliyah Boston, the reigning Rookie of the Year, contributed four points on 2-for-3 shooting with two rebounds and an assist off the bench. The Indiana Fever forward was making her second All-Star appearance. Boston is averaging 14.2 points on 53.2% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks in 30.4 minutes per game.