
A former Tar Heel helped make history in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
Allisha Gray, who played on the UNC women’s basketball team, and the United States women’s 3×3 basketball team won the gold medal match against the Russian Olympic Committee 18-15.
The 2020 Olympics are the first year including the sport. Games are ten minutes long and are played on a half-court with three players and one substitute for each team. Scoring is done by one-point and two-point shots instead of two-pointers and three-pointers, and each possession has a 12-second shot clock.
Gray, who currently plays in the WNBA on the Dallas Wings franchise, contributed four points in the win. The team’s other members are Stephanie Dolson of the Chicago Sky, and Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces.
The U.S. 3×3 team had a near-flawless run to the gold in Tokyo. The team went 6-1 overall, beating countries like Japan, Italy, Mongolia, China and Romania in the tournament.
Gray arrived at UNC as the seventh-ranked player in the 2013 recruiting class for women’s basketball. She became an immediate contributor for Sylvia Hatchell’s program at the time, averaging nearly 14 points per game her first season and 16 points per game in her second. With Carolina, she earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team and then First-team All-ACC before transferring to South Carolina in 2015. Gray eventually won a national championship with the Gamecocks before getting drafted and winning WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Photo via USA Basketball on Twitter.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Japan’s Vaccine Push Ahead of Olympics Looks To Be Too LateWritten by MARI YAMAGUCHI It may be too little, too late. That’s the realization sinking in as Japan scrambles to catch up on a frustratingly slow vaccination drive less than two months before the Summer Olympics, delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, are scheduled to start. The Olympics risk becoming an incubator for […]
![]()
Mori Is Gone but Gender Issues Remain for Tokyo OlympicsYoshiro Mori resigned as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Friday after sexist comments made last week in which he said women “talk too much.” The resignation of the former Japanese prime minister at an executive board meeting has left a mess in its wake. And it comes just over five months […]
![]()
Japan Vaccination Uncertainty Casts Doubts Over OlympicsJapan is publicly adamant that it will stage its postponed Olympics this summer. But to pull it off, many believe the vaccination of its 127 million citizens for the coronavirus is key. It’s an immense undertaking in the best of circumstances and complicated now by an overly cautious decision-making process, bureaucratic roadblocks and a public […]
![]()
Tokyo Olympics Seem Sure to Happen -- But in 2021, Not 2020The Tokyo Olympics are going to happen — but almost surely in 2021 rather than in four months as planned. This became clear after the IOC on Sunday announced it was considering a postponement and would make a final decision within four weeks. Major Olympic nations like Canada and Australia have added pressure by saying […]
![]()
Tokyo Olympics say Costs Around $12.6B, Audit Report says Much MoreTokyo Olympic organizers said Friday they are spending 1.35 trillion Japanese yen — about $12.6 billion — to stage next year’s games. Organizers said the expenditure is unchanged from a year ago, although robust sponsorship and ticket sales have generated a contingency fund of an extra $300 million. However, Japan’s National Audit Board, in a […]

Deja Kelly, USA Fall in FIBA AmeriCup Title GameUNC women’s basketball star Deja Kelly and the U.S. Women’s basketball team fell short of earning the gold medal at the 2023 Women’s AmeriCup, as Brazil defeated the Americans for the second time in a week at the tournament. Kelly and Team USA suffered another poor shooting night against the Brazilians, losing 69-58 on Sunday […]
![]()
Olympics Now Ended, Japan Races to Vaccinate as Virus SurgesWritten by MARI YAMAGUCHI The Tokyo Olympics have ended, but it’s still vacation season in Japan, and many people are ignoring government pleas to avoid travel and stay away from bars and restaurants even as the coronavirus spikes at record levels. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is pinning his hopes on vaccinations, which started slow but […]
![]()
In Tokyo, Social Platforms Help the Pandemic Olympics ShineWritten by JENNA FRYER A condom fixed Jessica Fox’s canoe, and skateboarder Jagger Eaton celebrated his bronze medal by broadcasting live on Instagram. Margielyn Didal “let” Tony Hawk take a picture with her to post on Facebook. The stability of the cardboard framed beds in the athlete’s village has been tested by Olympians who treated […]

Black Women, Across Generations, Heed Biles’ Olympic ExampleWritten by AARON MORRISON, ASTRID GALVAN and DEEPTI HAJELA Naomi Osaka. Simone Biles. Both are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever know. Both have faced major career crossroads at the Tokyo Games. Both cited pressure and mental health. The glare is even hotter for […]
![]()
Belarus Sprinter Says Punishment Awaited Her Back HomeWritten by DANIEL KOZIN and DARIA LITVINOVA A Belarusian Olympic sprinter who had a public feud with officials from her team at the Tokyo Games said Tuesday that authorities “made it clear” she would face punishment if she returned home to an autocratic government that has relentlessly stifled any criticism. Waiting to leave Japan to […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines