In a moving letter to her son on his second birthday, queer WNBA star Chelsea Gray expressed her hopes and dreams for a future that is “more open-minded than the one” she “grew up in.” In the letter, published in The Player’s Tribune, she said she hoped that one day, when her son, Lennox, reads the letter, he is surprised to find out “that it wasn’t always easy to be yourself for people like me and mama.”
The letter detailed Gray’s love story with Lennox’s other mom, Tipesa Gray, and how she had to navigate her burgeoning career while trying to figure out whether it was safe to be out.
Related
“On one of the most important nights of my career, the night of the WNBA draft, I wasn’t able to have your mom standing by my side,” she wrote, of her selection in the 2014 draft by the Connecticut Sun. “I called her when I was in the green room, when I finally got a moment to sneak away, and she was so excited for me. She’s screaming on the phone, like, ‘LET’S GOOOOO!!!’ She had already been a part of so many highs and lows. She understood how much this meant to me. Crazy to think it was just the beginning.”
She spoke about the couple’s wedding in 2019 and how Tipesa is a “beautiful, witty, magnetic woman,” and that she is so happy that they are raising Lennox in Las Vegas, where Gray currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“It’s been two years since you were born,” she said. “Your favorite movies areFinding Nemo,Finding Dory,Shark Tale, andThe Lion King. You’re intelligent and pick up on things quickly. You are a confident kid who is very sure of himself. So confident that you believe you can do anything.”
“It’s one of my favorite qualities about you, so me and Mama give you a lot of freedom to test your skills (with proper supervision of course). You love to run and tackle and play in the dirt. Basketball is your favorite sport, but soccer’s a close second. You love to chase birds and chase the waves. And before bed most nights, you sit beside me on the floor and play with your dinosaurs and trucks.”
She also spoke about how special it is to see Lennox in the locker room with her teammates. “It kind of blows my mind just how like……normalthat all feels. When I was drafted almost 12 years ago, that definitely wasn’t the norm — you didn’t see a bunch of athletes bringing their kids around. Not on the women’s side, at least… It’s a lot. But to be honest, Lennox, I never thought about not bringing you along. I always knew I wanted you to be part of it.”
Gray concluded the letter by telling Lennox she wants “what every parent wants – for my child to have a better experience than I had.”
“I just think it’s pretty damn cool for you to be around so many other amazing women athletes and their kids. My hope for you is that when you sit down and read this one day, as the bright, adventurous, and talented young man that I know you will become, you understand how much of a gift this life is and do something with it and have great memories along the way.”
Gray helped lead the Las Vegas Aces to three WNBA Championship wins in 2022, 2023, and 2025. She also won the championship in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks. She and her wife announced on Halloween in 2023 that they were expecting a baby with a photo of the couple holding a onesie that said, “A Baby is Brewing.”
Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.