“Something’s popped,” said a visibly distressed Chelsea Gray during a timeout in Game 3 of the 2023 WNBA finals. An expression of immense pain covered her face as she eventually hopped out of the court on her right foot and into the ominously dark tunnel. Her teammates couldn’t believe they were losing their leader to such an ill fate, and Aces coach Becky Hammon cried on the court out of helplessness. One thing was for sure. “Point Gawd” Gray wouldn’t be returning as a player anytime soon.

But with the Aces eyeing a 2nd consecutive championship, she couldn’t get herself to be away from the court. In Game 4, with them 2-1 up on the Liberty, Gray came with the highest energy, embodying the role of an assistant coach alongside Hammon. From calling plays to giving short but intense pep talks to her teammates, she did it all, and the Aces did her proud with a close 70-69 win. Despite her fractured left foot, Gray ditched her crutches and jumped into the celebratory pile-up. But the uphill road to recovery had only begun.

Ahead of the 2024 season, the 31-year-old admitted there was no specific recovery timeline. “You don’t want to play when you’re rushing yourself back into shape,” Gray told reporters. She missed the first 12 games of the 2024 season, wherein the Aces lost as many games as they did in the entire 2023 season. If you include the missed Game 4 of the 2023 finals, she missed out on 13 games.

But when she returned to play the Seattle Storm in the Aces’ 13th game of the season, she got a hero’s welcome. The Michelob Ultra Arena cheered in unison as the deafening celebrations echoed inside. For her, the fans made it a fairytale return, where she also achieved a new milestone.

How the Aces fans gave Chelsea Gray “the chills” after a sleepless night

The injury downtime for any athlete is one of the most challenging phases. Dealing with the uncertainty is never easy. Fortunately for Chelsea Gray, this fracture only temporarily dented her physical ability. As the hype for her return grew ahead of the Storm matchup, she too couldn’t keep calm. “I probably slept for a total of 30 minutes,” Gray told Women’s Health three weeks later. “I was just amped to be able to play.”

In her comeback game, she came off the bench with 1:41 left in the first quarter. Building on the crowd’s thunderous ovation, she recorded her first assist within 20 seconds of returning. This dime also made her the 9th WNBA player ever to reach the 1500-assist milestone. Though Gray only scored 1 point in the game, her 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks pushed the Aces to a 94-83 win over the Storm.

“I probably went through every emotion leading up to today,” Gray said post-game. “I was a little anxious all day. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on that court. But the fans were amazing from the time I came out to warm up to the time I checked in the game. It was a rush and a feeling I missed a lot.”

Even three weeks after the game, she admitted to getting chills after rewatching the crowd’s reaction. “Watching the videos back and the standing ovation, how loud it was—it still gives me chills,” Gray said. Upon her return, the Aces Point Guard averaged 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.3 steals in 27 games, shooting 40.8% from the field.