NEW YORK – On Tuesday in New York City, Allisha Gray capped off what has been an unbelievable run of success on the court in 2017.

Prior to the league’s annual Inspiring Women Luncheon, WNBA president Lisa Borders presented Gray with the Rookie of the Year trophy. The Dallas Wings guard earns her first piece of WNBA hardware just five months after winning the national championship with South Carolina. Gray averaged 13 points per game as a rookie, helping Dallas return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

“It’s been fun. Winning a national championship was a goal of mine when I went to South Carolina,” Gray said at Tuesday’s event. “So to achieve that goal, carry the momentum into the WNBA season and be able to make the playoffs as a rookie, this year has been fun for me.”

Fittingly, Wings teammate Kaela Davis also attended the Luncheon and was able to share the moment with Gray as her fellow Gamecock received the trophy.

Congrats to the #WNBA Rookie of the Year, @Graytness_15! #WatchMeWork #InspiringWomen pic.twitter.com/7KTuSGhLAu

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 19, 2017

Gray and Davis have done everything together in the past three years. They both transferred to South Carolina in 2015 – Gray from North Carolina, Davis from Georgia Tech – and sat out the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules. After winning the national title this past April, they declared for the WNBA Draft, foregoing their senior seasons. The Wings selected both Gray and Davis in the first round.

“I’m super proud. We’ve been through a lot in the last three years,” Davis said Tuesday. “From sitting out together at South Carolina, winning a national championship and now being on the same team, just seeing her progress in these last few years has been awesome to watch. I’m super proud of her and how hard she worked to get to where she is now.”

Gray, the No. 4 overall selection in this year’s draft, is the lowest draft pick to win Rookie of the Year since Temeka Johnson in 2005 (No. 6).

She has been the favorite since almost day one, however, as Gray started hot by scoring in double figures in her first three games as a pro. She won Rookie of the Month for both May and June, and the lefty had almost no competition among rookies until Atlanta’s Brittney Sykes emerged in July. Sykes finished the season with a slightly higher scoring average (13.9) than Gray (13.0).

But Dallas made the playoffs, while Atlanta stumbled down the stretch and finished 12-22. Gray also led all rookies in steals by far with 1.5 per game – she ranked fifth in the WNBA in total steals – and was the only first-year player to start every contest.

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Now, after 11 straight months of nonstop basketball and a few trophies, Gray is headed back to campus in South Carolina to finish her degree this offseason.

“A big part of me coming out early was that I found out I would still be on track to graduate,” she said. “So it was a no-brainer for me to go and achieve my dream of playing in the WNBA.”

Gray and Davis were just two of the five rookies on the Wings’ roster this past season. They helped Dallas make a five-game improvement from 2016, and with the youngest squad in the league, the Wings figure to keep evolving.

At the center of it all is Gray, your 2017 Rookie of the Year.