“She’s a main ingredient to our recipe,” WNBA star A’ja Wilson said about Point Gawd. Chelsea Gray’s game is built on precision, vision, and a touch of flair—and she has some legendary influences to thank for it. From Allen Iverson’s lethal crossover to Chris Paul’s mid-range mastery, she’s studied the greats. But one name stands out among the rest: Magic Johnson. The $85 million franchise owner didn’t just inspire her—he helped shape her into the Point Gawd she is today. And with critics questioning her Olympic selection, Gray is proving exactly why she belongs.

Sparks point guard Chelsea Gray recently sat down with Dwyane Wade, Dorell Wright, and Chris Johnson for a conversation at Time Out. Fresh off winning the Playoffs MVP and leading Rose BC to the inaugural Unrivaled title over Vinyl, Gray’s impact on the court was undeniable—especially with that jaw-dropping no-look pass that had everyone talking. Over the years, the Las Vegas star has often credited some of the game’s greatest for shaping her style of play.

When Wright asked Gray about the basketball legends she looked up to, she didn’t hesitate to name a few—Magic Johnson, the $85 million owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. “I love the passing of Magic Johnson. I was young, but I would go back and watch his videos all the time. He was a taller point guard, so I’d study how he got those passes off, even against bigger defenders in the post,” Gray shared. “I watched AI growing up too—it was a family thing.”

The similarity between her playing style and Johnson’s wasn’t surprising, considering how much of Johnson’s style has always been evident in her game. She mentioned another WNBA player. She added, “His crossover and the illusion that you think he’s going the entire different direction and his crossover with something else. I will watch Chris Paul and the way he will operate in the mid post so I kind of just took a little bit from everybody and then on the women’s side I watched Ticha Penicheiro. She don’t get the recognition but she kind of changed the way you look at passing like before me!” 

Her dominance in the league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart has been undeniable, but the nickname ‘Point Gawd’ carries a story of its own.

Who named her Point Gawd? 

In her inaugural Unrivaled season, she impressed with a record-breaking 39 points in the semifinals. Her ability to carry a team when required this most—dismisses any doubts about why she was on the USA roster. But how did she become the Point Gawd? 

During the podcast, Gray revealed that it was Candace Parker who gave her the nickname “Point Gawd”—not God, mind you. From the moment she picked up a basketball, she fell in love with the art of passing. She would study the best point guards, breaking down their moves and adding them to her own game. But when it came to practice, she didn’t always have a teammate, so she had to get creative.

Instead, she honed her passing skills by throwing the ball behind her back at the pole supporting the hoop in front of her house. Day after day, she worked on perfecting her touch, using the same hoop her father had kept for years. Even after making it to the WNBA, every time she returned home, she would shoot on that same old hoop—reliving the memories—until her father finally got rid of it.