Portrait of Angel Gray during the 2024 College Basketball Seminar. (Photo: Jacob Kupferman | ESPN Images)
PHOENIX — Angel Gray, play-by-play commentator for ESPN and the Atlanta Dream, has made her mark in women’s basketball—first as a standout player for the Florida State Seminoles and now as a prominent voice calling games on national television.
Angel Gray on the Call for the 2025 WNBA Finals Rematch
Gray will be on the call alongside Carolyn Peck and Tiffany Greene for Saturday’s game between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces. The game will be streamed nationally on ABC, Disney+, and the ESPN App at 12:30 p.m. Phoenix time.
“These names that are doing phenomenal work in their respective countries, then come over and make names on their respective teams,” Gray told The Podium Finish. “And the W just beyond, not well, absolutely beyond what the Phoenix Mercury are doing. I am thrilled to see how the league wants to go over the best talent in the world. And Phoenix has done a great job of looking and searching for the talent that fits the roster under Nate Tibbetts.”
Angel Gray on the 2025 WNBA Finals Rematch with the Phoenix Mercury
Gray sat down with Aya Abdeen of The Podium Finish to talk about the preview of the 2025 WNBA Finals rematch, which resulted in the Aces sweeping the Mercury in four games.
The Podium Finish: The Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces face off for the first time in the regular season and will face off for three times later in the season. What type of movement have you observed from a condensed offseason for both of these two teams?
Additionally, what fascinates you about Nick U’Ren’s approach to going after notable players overseas?
Angel Gray: “With this particular game between Phoenix and Las Vegas that were once the San Antonio Stars, and had even had their time even before San Antonio. The coolest part is these are two of the original four franchises that started in the inception of the league. So when you thinking about the celebration of how far this league has come, these are two of the first franchises that were established within that. I think just the other teams, the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty. Just to see that is really cool. But just overall, even if you just go back to last season, this is a rematch of the finals that we saw for the W, and be it that as it may, with the Las Vegas Aces sweeping the Phoenix Mercury. They’re two different teams. So there’s been significant movement, obviously, for Phoenix, where you lose your leading scorer in the regular season, you lose your leading scorer from even the playoffs, before she suffered the concussion with Satou Sabally, who’s now with New York. You wonder who will be that piece that continues to step up.
“For Phoenix, I’m looking at what the timeline is for Sami Whitcomb coming back (which is 4-6 weeks). That’s just a huge blow for them. That’s someone who has a lot of experience, a veteran with this team, who’s not going to be able to explore. So yes, you get a couple of acquisitions from what they were able to do with trade in Portland (bringing in Chloe Bibby), and then the international fair that you talked about. And then, too, I was able to call a few games for TCU and the Big 12, and seeing Martha Suarez and how she’s able to stretch the floor her length, down the line, she’s going to be a very key addition for Phoenix. And overall, we’ve seen that international players, whether it be the WNBA, the NBA, how the league is not just stateside, it’s global. And bringing in so much experience, we get to see them every four years, on the Olympic side of things, where they’re competing against France, they’re competing against Australia, they’re competing against Spain.”
Angel Gray Speaks on How the Mercury Could Fill Satou Sabally’s Void
The Podium Finish: Despite losing Satou Sabally in free agency, what do you think of how Phoenix can fill in the void at the start of the season? And how excited should the fans be about the matchup between Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson?
Gray: Phoenix has done a great job of looking and searching for the talent that fits the roster underneath Tibbetts. For Phoenix too, when I’m looking at DeWanna Bonner who came over midway through the season last year, returning to a place where she started, there for 10 years. This is her 17th season, which is insane to think, but just with her being such a veteran, for her being such a key figure, with experience, understanding what it takes to win, and has won titles. That’s a huge piece for them. But also signing Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper back to multi-year contracts was huge for them, especially in the missing a piece such as Satou Sabally. So, just seeing how all of that comes together, I think there will be some growing pains to work through. But you can never count Nate Tibbetts and his staff out, especially when you have Alyssa Thomas, who has been in the top three of MVP voting in the last five years. She’s just that girl.
“She has had the most triple doubles in a season, in the regular season, in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and so I hope that’s not that’s an excellence that’s not overlooked in the league. But that shows you how dominant you have to be if you’re in A’ja Wilson, who comes up with her fourth MVP in her career, and third time that she’s won a title. I’m excited about seeing that matchup, in particular. I know A’ja Wilson has the upper hand at this point, coming into the series against Alyssa Thomas, winning the last 11 games against her, but overall, it’s just seeing greatness on full display. There was a really cool stat I saw between A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas, just to give you an understanding of how dominant they are in their respective positions. And I already talked about what Alyssa Thomas has been able to do with triple-doubles. But even for A’ja Wilson, in the last four seasons, she’s recorded the most points and rebounds in the WNBA, and Alyssa Thomas has recorded the most assists and steals in the WNBA.”
Angel Gray Speaks Highly of Kahleah Copper
Kahleah Copper (2) showing off the Phoenix Mercury’s newest Rebel uniform. (Photo: Phoenix Mercury)
The Podium Finish: When you see how Kahleah Copper has grown, from when she was a reserve to now becoming one of the most entertaining players to watch, what has stood out to you? How poised do you think she is to have one of the best seasons in her career?
Gray: “To get back to Kahleah Copper because of her relationship and what she learned from Candace Parker in Chicago, and how she needs to take care of her body, what she needed to do in order, at this point in her career, to be different in her approach to the game and fighting over ailments and mentality and all that. That’s a relationship that has really benefited her, because she understands from another legend and future Hall of Famer of what it is to approach the game and respect the game.
“Kahleah Copper is one of the most entertaining, one of the most versatile players in the league. I mean, she’s a three-and-deep type of player. I got to see her and call the series with her in Minnesota and just saw how she impacted the game from three but also took the best defensive assignment when she could.
“So, overall, when she’s coming into season one, healthy, and then two, what her role is in the absence of Satou Sabally. So, I believe you want to see her a little bit more aggressive and how she needs to fill the gap. I don’t want to say that one person can fill the gap for Satou Sabally, but I think Kahleah Copper is a player who is ready for the moment. She’s one already and has been that girl already. So, looking forward to seeing how she grows this year.”
