WNBA’s Allisha Gray, business partners finding new success with restaurant venture

Published 8:18 am Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Allisha Gray has quite simply done it all — and she is just 28 years old. 

The Sandersville native won a basketball national championship in 2017 with the South Carolina Gamecocks before being selected in the first round, the fourth overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the 2017 WNBA Draft. Gray won WNBA Rookie of the Year with Dallas and after spending several seasons there was traded to the Atlanta Dream earlier this year. 

In her first season with the Dream, Gray was named a WNBA All-Star. Not to mention, she won a gold medal while representing the United States in the 2020 Summer Olympics women’s 3×3 basketball tournament in Tokyo.

Now, Gray is taking on a new challenge alongside her partner, Tim Mangum Jr. and her brother, AJ Gray. The trio have opened a WNB Factory location in Milledgeville at 2485 N. Columbia St., Suite 112. 

Gray said the decision to get into the restaurant business was AJ’s idea. According to Gray, AJ wanted to grab some wings one night but the Wingstop he visited was closed. He made his way to a WNB Factory. After eating at WNB, he raved about the food to Gray and Mangum before suggesting the idea of owning their own location.

After some research and discussion, the three became restaurant owners and opened their WNB Factory earlier this year. 

The menu is vast and includes everything from a selection of wings to cheesesteaks, burgers —  including vegetarian burger options — and Gray’s favorite menu item, the chicken fried rice. 

AJ and Mangum mostly handle the day-to-day operations at WNB while Gray works behind the scenes. She said that being in the WNBA is “way less stressful” than being a restaurant owner. She explained that as with anything, learning along the way makes it easier.

For AJ, opening WNB Factory Milledgeville with his sister and Mangum is special. 

“It means a lot to me. It’s a blessing to be able to do something this big at a young age. It’s not every day you see young people in their 20s opening up a restaurant franchise and having a real impact on the community,” he said. 

Gray said that interacting with other people is her favorite part of owning WNB Factory Milledgeville. When she is in the restaurant, she likes to try her hand at running the register.

Mangum said he has also really enjoyed becoming a restaurant owner. 

“Everything about it has been great. We have a really special team that keeps the environment fun and energy high each and every day,” he said. “I’ve also really enjoyed being able to greet our customers with a smile knowing that they are about to get a great meal.”

Visit WNB Factory Mondays through Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. and on Sundays between noon and 8 p.m. Both pickup and delivery options are available as well as online ordering.