In SELF’s Sleeping With… series, we ask people from different career paths, backgrounds, and stages of life how they make sleep magic happen.
With her third consecutive WNBA All-Star appearance fast approaching, you might think that Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray would be battling a case of nerves. Not only is the stage a massive one, but she’ll also have to follow up her über-impressive showing at last year’s All-Star Weekend, where she became the first hooper to win both the WNBA Skills Challenge and the 3-Point Contest in the same season. “For me to win both of ’em, I mean, it was an amazing feeling,” she tells SELF via Zoom leading up to 2025’s big game, which will be held on July 19. “It was cool to make history. That was just a great accomplishment in my career.”
In another milestone, this year marks the first time Gray has earned a starting nod for the All-Star game. In fact, she’s only the second player in the history of the Atlanta Dream to be named an All-Star in three straight seasons, and she’s the first Dream player to start in an All-Star Game since 2018. “Just being an All-Star is an honor within itself, but this season, being an All-Star starter, that’s even more exciting,” she says.
So yes, the pressure is on—but somehow, Gray is chilling. Overthinking, she reveals, is something her dad taught her to avoid (“Just play free,” she says), and that advice has clearly served her well throughout her career (as accolades like her 2017 Rookie of the Year title, her Olympic gold medal in 3×3 basketball, and her soon-to-be three All-Star appearances show). “I’m at my best when I don’t overthink, because when you tend to overthink, it affects other parts of your game,” she says. “So for me, I just let it go in one ear and out the other.”
While, sure, it would be nice to pull off a victory (not to mention win either or both the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest again), her primary mission for the 2025 All-Star Weekend is pretty down-to-earth: “I’m just going in…to have fun,” she says. With a few days to go until tip-off, SELF caught up with Gray to ask how she preps for bed after a long day, since a good night’s sleep is key to a high-powered on-court performance. Below, you’ll find all the details.
I’ll start by kicking back with a show or two.
After practice, I come home, take a nice, hot shower, warm up my meal—we get food at the gym, so what I eat depends on whatever the chef makes that day—and sit down. I’m usually home by 4 p.m. Depending on how I’m feeling, either I’m watching YouTube videos or I’m on Hulu or Netflix. I’m heavy on YouTube. I love YouTube. That’s probably my favorite thing to be on. I’m so into YouTube that I have YouTube Premium because I don’t like the ads interrupting my videos.