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Atlanta Dream's Allisha Gray Undergoes Hand Surgery, Status Unclear for Finals
Confirmed
In Short: Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray underwent a minor procedure on her left hand and her status for the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries is uncertain.
Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray underwent a minor procedure on her left shooting hand to address an injury sustained during the semifinals against the New York Liberty.
Gray's injury occurred early in Game 1 when she deflected a pass from Sabrina Ionescu, leading to a trip to the locker room.
Upon her return, Gray had tape on her fingers and continued to play, but she was later sidelined for the majority of the series against the Liberty.
In an interview with WSB-TV, Gray said, 'Right now I'm day-to-day, I had a minor procedure. Progress is great, so as of right now I'm just day-to-day, and you'll see.'
The Dream's coach Karl Smesko acknowledged Gray's uncertain status, emphasizing the team's need for her to be fully healthy for the Finals.
Gray, who averages 19 points per game in the regular season, was a key player in the Dream's playoff run, leading the team in scoring against the Washington Mystics with 22 points per game.
The Atlanta Dream, aiming for their first championship, will face the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Finals on Saturday.
The Valkyries, in their second season, have reached the Finals and are the quickest expansion team to do so, breaking the record set by the Dream in 2010.
The Dream boasts a formidable trio of Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Jordin Canada, all averaging double-digit points per game.
Angel Reese, acquired in a trade with Chicago last offseason, has been a standout performer, leading the WNBA in rebounds with 12.4 per game.
The series winner will advance to play the winner of the Las Vegas Aces-Golden State Valkyries series in the WNBA Finals.
While the basketball world was stunned by the Valkyries' performance, the team remained composed, behaving like a group that had achieved their goal.
What this adds
The Valkyries became the quickest expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals, breaking the record pace set by the Dream in 2010.
The Dream's last appearance in the Finals was in 2013, where they lost to the Minnesota Lynx.
Gray's status for the Finals remains uncertain, with the team hoping for a full recovery before the crucial games.
Background
The Valkyries became the quickest expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals, breaking the record pace set by the Dream, who did it in their third year in 2010.
The Atlanta Dream secured their first trip to the WNBA Finals since 2013 with a 85-83 victory over the New York Liberty in Game 3.
What's confirmed
- Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray underwent a "minor" procedure on her left shooting hand to address an injury she sustained during the semifinals against the New York Liberty. It's unclear when the procedure took place, and her status for Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday is still up in the air. "Right now I'm day-to-day, I had a minor procedure," Gray said Tuesday in an interview with WSB-TV. "Progress is great, so as of right now I'm just day-to-day, and you'll see."
What's still developing
- Gray who missed several games with a left hand injury is going through shooting drills you can see her left ring finger and pinky tapped together.
- Gray was on the court Tuesday, taking part in shooting drills during the portion of the Dream's practice that was open to the media.
- “To be here in this moment, we’re making history and it’s like so unimaginable, but for us it’s so realistic,” said Veronica Burton, who played all of the fourth quarter and overtime despite carrying five fouls during most of that critical stretch.
- 21, when the Dream beat the Liberty 95-84 and Reese and Jones both scored over one another and talked smack.
- The WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year will have her hands full battling New York’s bigs and trying to reduce their scoring in the paint.
- The Valkyries were the WNBA's best defensive team in the regular season and showed why to open their semifinal series.
- "All we talked about for the last 48 hours was rebounding and blocking them out, and we did not do it. Period," Hammon told reporters.
- "played like ass and only lost by [11]."
- The second-seeded Valkyries will have home-court advantage and will host No.
- The Aces tied the score on Gray's inbound pass to Young with 27 seconds left and ultimately force overtime.
- The Aces led by six points late in the game before the Valkyries evened the score when Gabby Williams stole the ball from Wilson and Thornton finished with a transition layup to make it 69-69 with 1:50 left.