Allisha Gray is an All-Star and a light in the darkness, a welcomed sight for a reeling Atlanta Dream team.
Outside Gateway Center Arena on Friday, it’s blazing hot — 93 degrees, to be exact, two and a half hours ahead of game time. Standing outside the arena feels like being cooked in an oven, reminiscent of the heat its inhabitants are facing.
The team is down severely right now. Injuries, morale, wins — it’s all low. How does a team missing four players, including two starters, bring itself up in such turmoil? They make do with their All-Star, Allisha Gray, who leads the way.
Without Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada, the assumption is that the veteran leadership would come from someone like the “OG” Tina Charles. But, with the team decked out in “Goggle Lish” shirts pre-game along with versions of Allisha’s signature goggles, it’s apparent — this is her squad for now.
Despite the thunderous ovation for Allisha during team introductions, it remains unclear what that exactly means, but if anything, the team has her respect.
“Today, you know we’re representing. Big Lish. Big Al, not the little one”, Cheyenne Parker Tyus told Hall About Sports pre-game. “It’s her day. She’s an All-Star. We’re just here to represent, show our love in some sort of way.”
“Lish has been called upon to do a little bit more during this stretch, and I think she’s answered the call in terms of preparing herself mentally day in and day out, understanding that she’s going to get the brunt of the opposing teams’ defense…,” head coach Tanisha Wright explained.
“I just think she’s doing a good job of trying to holding the fort and do her part in terms of keeping us relevant and in games…
And, Tanisha Wright is correct. Atlanta would not be in as many games as they have, still fighting, without Gray’s hustle.
Allisha Gray is special, and right now, she’s going to need every bit of vision her proverbial (and literal) goggles offer her to help Atlanta see it through until after the Olympic break.
Hall About Sports 
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[…] could be the moment when fans finally see the true potential of this squad. All-Star Allisha Gray seems to agree with that […]
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