Chelsea Gray went down hard in Game 5 of the semifinals, her ankle bending awkwardly after a collision. For a moment, the whole arena froze – fans fearing the worst, her teammates holding their breath. But Gray wasn’t ready to let the season slip away. Just minutes later, she came storming back, limping but locked in, and dropped 8 clutch points in overtime, including two dagger threes that buried the Fever. Afterward, when asked about her ankle, she brushed it off with a smile: “I’m good. I’m good.” Now, as the Finals unfold, the WNBA finals curse still looms, ready to test her once again.

For those unaware, with just half a quarter remaining in Game 3 of the 2023 Finals, Gray had been battling New York’s Breanna Stewart in the paint when fate struck cruelly. She clipped Stewart’s heel and landed awkwardly, letting out a loud pop. “Something popped,” she winced, grimacing in pain during the timeout Coach Hammon called. It was later revealed that she had fractured her foot. The injury was severe enough to sideline her for the first 12 games of the 2024 season.

In Game 1 of the 2025 Finals, with roughly six minutes left in the third quarter and the Mercury clinging to a three-point lead, Gray appeared to re-injure her ankle. The incident came on a Kahleah Copper closeout, as Gray landed awkwardly on Copper’s foot while attempting a shot — sending another wave of worry through the Aces and their fans.

A repeat of the 2023 Finals? That’s exactly what every fan inside Michelob ULTRA Arena must have feared as Gray hobbled toward the locker room. Sure, she hadn’t had the best game so far–just 2 points by halftime–but this was a veteran who never backed down from the biggest shots. Fans had seen it just in the last game. “She has the confidence to take those shots, I know she doesn’t want to always take those shots, but she is capable of doing that,” Jewell Loyd had said about Chelsea Gray following the win against the Indiana Fever. “Those are just heartbreakers, they really are.”

Luckily, Gray wasn’t about to let an injury keep her sidelined for long…

Will Chelsea Gray Return for the Rest of Game 1?

Fans finally breathed a sigh of relief as, just minutes later, Gray returned to the floor, her foot and ankle heavily taped. A true warrior. She went on to finish the game with 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting, while dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds–a complete performance that reminded everyone why she’s one of the Aces’ most clutch players.

Thanks to Gray’s heroics and A’ja Wilson’s 21-point, 10-rebound performance, the Aces eked out an 89-86 win, despite shooting worse than the Mercury. Now, they head back home for Game 2, facing a Mercury squad that, oddly enough, seems to have made a habit of dropping Game 1 in every series this season.

It remains to be seen if the Mercury can pull off the same magic they showed against the Liberty and Lynx and take down the Aces to claim the championship. But the Aces aren’t going down without a fight. Barring any injuries to key players, expect this series to go down to the wire. What about you? Who do you think will come out on top? Let us know in the comments below!