Chelsea Gray Breaks Silence On Controversial Paige Bueckers Play In 1v1 Tournament 

Paige Bueckers has won a lot of accolades in her life. But winning the Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament was just not meant to be. While she lost to Chelsea Gray in the quarterfinals, the ending became quite chaotic. With the Dallas Wings star committing a foul on Gray, she left the arena in frustration immediately after her loss. 

Following her actions, fans lashed out at the 2024 Rookie of the Year for walking out of the arena. However, speaking about the controversial foul, the Wings’ star argued that the foul was on the floor and Gray shouldn’t have been getting a free throw shot. Surprisingly, in a recent statement from the 1v1 tournament winner, Bueckers’ claims about the foul turned out to be legit.

Chelsea Gray Supports Paige Bueckers On The Controversial Foul Call

In the 1v1 tournament, a foul shot equals two points. Thus, when Gray was awarded a free throw, the former UConn star’s frustration was shooting through the roof. Speaking on an episode of the ‘Bird’s Eye View’ podcast, Gray sided with Bueckers that the foul was indeed on the floor. 

“They let some stuff go, but that foul, she did try to foul me on the floor. They didn’t call it, and then I went into my shot, and she still tried to get the foul, and then they called it. So, the timing in which the refs called the foul; it was a shooting foul when she fouled, but she tried to do it earlier,” Gray said. 

Surely, this does provide some closure on Bueckers’ claims. But no one can deny that even if officials had not awarded the foul to Gray, the outcome of the game would have remained largely the same. Losing the contest 11-2, the Breeze BC star was only 1/6 from the floor, while Gray dropped an impressive 4/9 from the floor. 

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Surely, the loss came as a shocking setback for the Wings’ star. But her stocks are in no way going down at the moment. While she recently bagged the $50,000 free-throw challenge,  

Meanwhile, as Bueckers’ actions against Gray might not have been ideal, her positive influence on her teammates is something that nobody can deny. 

Dominique Malonga Feels Confident While Playing Beside Paige Bueckers

Following her incredible stint in the WNBA, the 23-year-old star chose the Unrivaled to further flex her talent. And teaming up with the likes of Malonga, Cameron Brink, and more, she is radiating her positive energy within her teammates. 

Reflecting on her experience with Bueckers, Malonga said, “It’s been amazing. She’s a great playmaker, she sees the floor very well — I just have to be ready anytime because I know with her, I can get that ball all the time.”

Dominique Malonga on playing with Paige Bueckers in #Unrivaled:

“It’s been amazing. She’s a great playmaker, she sees the floor very well — I just have to be ready anytime because I know with her, I can get that ball all the time.” pic.twitter.com/g5onfwHasO

— Wendell Epps (@epps_wendell) January 25, 2026

Bueckers might have suffered a small setback. But she is still one of the leading scorers in the Unrivaled. And as she lost on the $200,000 prize money, the Dallas Wings’ star can very much make up for the same by pushing for the MVP award.