Dream's Naz Hillmon Makes WNBA MVP Case for Allisha Gray

Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray deserves to be in the WNBA MVP conversation.

Aug 17, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) dribbles upcourt against the Golden State Valkyries in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Dream have cemented themselves as one of the top teams in the WNBA throughout the 2025 season, holding a 24-13 record, which is good for second-best in the league. The Dream have won back-to-back games against two of their top competitors, beating both the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty within a three-day span.

In each of those wins, star guard Allisha Gray showed why she is in the WNBA MVP conversation.

In Saturday's win over the Liberty, Gray dropped a game-high 19 points on 7-13 shooting from the field and 4-8 from three-point range, picking up the slack while the team was having a poor shooting night.

ALLISHA GRAY BREAKIN’ RECORDS 🔥

Her 3rd triple of the game is her 90th this season — joining Kelsey Mitchell as one of only two players to hit 90 so far this year. She’s also just the second Dream player ever with 90+ in a season, alongside Rhyne Howard (99 in 2023)

NYL-ATL |… pic.twitter.com/0SA6PemEVn

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 23, 2025

With the win on Saturday, the Dream reached a new franchise record for most wins in a season with 24, and Gray continues to cement herself in Atlanta history. Gray has spent the last three seasons in Atlanta, where she has made three consecutive All-Star appearances, and is now putting together the best year of her career.

This season, Gray is averaging 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 39.6% from three-point range.

Gray's WNBA MVP case

Aug 23, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) celebrates a three point shot against the New York Liberty during the first quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Gray is tracking to make her first All-WNBA appearance of her career, especially as she helps the Dream try to secure the second seed in the playoffs this season. However, she is also making a strong case to be in the MVP conversation.

While stars like Napheesa Collier, A'ja Wilson, and Alyssa Thomas are getting plenty of attention this season in the MVP race, Gray has done everything she can to deserve to be in the conversation as well.

Gray's teammate, Naz Hillmon, made her case for the star guard to be in the MVP race after their win on Saturday over the Liberty.

"So first of all, I do think that her game has absolutely spoke for itself. She's just been amazing in heightening her stats on every front, and just the amount that we rely on her," Hillmon said. "...We need [Gray] to do what she does. But it's not just on the offensive end, it's on the defensive end. We ask her to guard the best players on the opposite team... She just does all of those things, and she does it efficiently."

Hillmon hammers the idea that Gray has improved so much, and the stats are showing it. Gray is having a career-best year in nearly every major statistical category, and the Dream are profiting from it as one of the top teams in the WNBA. While Gray likely will not win MVP this season, she at least deserves some recognition for what she is doing.

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