Duke basketball great earns first-ever gold medal at 2020 Olympic Games

A Duke basketball great earned her first-ever gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games. 

It was a great 2020 Olympic Games for the Duke basketball program as those involved with the university picked up three gold medals.

Women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson led the Women’s 3×3 Basketball team to a gold medal, although she does not receive a physical medal. Former men’s basketball star Jayson Tatum picked up a gold medal with the men’s national team. And former women’s basketball star Chelsea Gray earned her first gold medal with the women’s national team.

After not competing with the women’s national team for most of her career due to injuries, Gray earned a spot on the 2020 Olympic Team that ran through its competition in Tokyo after some struggles in exhibition games.

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Gray also became the first player from Duke University to compete on the USA Women’s Olympic team.

Chelsea Gray played in all six games at the Olympics for Team USA and averaged 18.1 minutes per game while posting 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.6 steals per game while shooting 58.0-percent from the field and 43.0-percent from 3-point range.

The United States of America defeated Japan, 90-75, in the gold meal game.

Former Duke basketball standout has little time to recover from Olympics

There is not much time for Chelsea Gray to recover from the grueling stretch and travel from Tokyo as the WNBA season is set to resume this weekend.

Gray is in the midst of her first season with the Las Vegas Aces, where she has played, and started, in 21 games while averaging 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 44.5-percent shooting.

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Las Vegas (15-6) currently sits one game behind the Seattle Storm (16-5) for first place in the Western Conference.

The Aces host the Washington Mystics on Sunday, August 15 at 6:00pm in their return to regular-season action.