NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2017 – WNBA Rookie of the Year Allisha Gray of the Dallas Wings leads the 2017 WNBA All-Rookie Team as one of three unanimous selections, the WNBA announced today.
Guard Kaela Davis was named to the team as well, making them the first duo in franchise history to be named to a WNBA All-Rookie team in the same season.
“I want to congratulate Allisha and Kaela on a job well done,” stated head coach Fred Williams. “These two outstanding athletes have provided us with great leadership on and off the basketball court, and we are very proud of their first year success. We look forward to them coming back and helping us in 2018.”
Gray, received the maximum 11 votes from a panel of the WNBA’s 12 head coaches, who each selected five players regardless of position and were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Davis earned seven.
“We are proud of the rookie seasons Allisha and Kaela produced,” Dallas Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb stated. “They are tremendous young women who are fantastic role models on and off the court. Along with our other first-year players, and our young roster, the future is bright for our organization and our fans. We look forward to an exciting 2018 campaign.”
The fourth overall pick in the WNBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm, Gray finished second among rookies in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (3.9 rpg). She also led first-year players in steals with 1.53 per game, which ranked seventh in the WNBA. Gray began her career by earning WNBA Rookie of the Month honors in May and June.
Davis led rookies in three-point field goal percentage (42.9) and ranked fourth in scoring (6.1 ppg) after being selected by Dallas with the 10th pick in the 2017 draft. She scored 20 points against the Phoenix Mercury in her WNBA debut on May 14 and posted a career-high 23 points against the Chicago Sky on July 16. Davis joined Gray, her college teammate at South Carolina, in helping the Wings earn the seventh seed in the WNBA Playoffs 2017 presented by Verizon.
The Dynamic duo of Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray rose above the rest and recorded the most successful rookie campaigns in the WNBA this season. They ranked in the top five for all rookie leaders in scoring and minutes throughout the majority of the year. Combined, the two averaged 18.8 points per game and were amongst the top in over five categories for all rookies. Both players entered the WNBA Draft early this year to fulfill their lifelong dream of becoming WNBA athletes, and are currently finishing their degrees at South Carolina while preparing for the 2018 WNBA season.