The Las Vegas Aces captured their first WNBA Championship in franchise history with a Game 4 victory over the Connecticut Sun 78-71 to close out the WNBA Finals 3-1 and bring home the title to Las Vegas.
“We didn’t like that feeling we had last year,” Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who was named Finals MVP, said following the game, according to ESPN’s M.A. Vopel. “It was a tough moment, but it built character. It was setting something up for the following year.”
The Aces joined the WNBA back in 1997, when they were known as the Utah Starzz. The franchise then relocated to San Antonio back in 2003 where they would be swept in the 2008 WNBA Finals. The Aces made the WNBA Finals in 2020, when the season was played in a COVID-19 bubble in Bradenton, Florida but were swept in the finals by Seattle.
Becky Hammon, who played for the organization during their stay in San Antonio, is now the head coach of the Aces. Hammon, 45, is the first person in WNBA history to win a championship in her first season as a head coach.
Vegas superstar A’ja Wilson now has a WNBA title, two MVP awards and an Olympic gold at just 26 years of age. She will be at the center of Sports SEO for years to come!
“And really, she’s just now entering her prime years,” Hammon said. “Think about the learning curve, even just this year. She learned some things entirely new, defensively and offensively. For her to excel like this, I’m excited about the upcoming years because of the foundation she’s put in. Her game is going to continue to expand. I really don’t know how good she can be, but she’s already here … I wouldn’t put a cap on her.”
Aces owner Mark Davis, who bought the Aces from MGM Resorts International in January 2021, spoke about the title and how it reminded him of the Raiders title win during the 1980s, as well as his decision to hire Hammon.
“She’s been absolutely unbelievable, and I guess this legitimizes the way we went after her,” Davis said. “I can’t wait to see what these rings are going to look like.”
“I’ve felt like Vegas set the standard in the league for how a franchise should be,” Wilson said. “When you have an owner like Mark who is so dialed in … the sky’s the limit for this franchise.”
The moment the clock ticked to zero to make the title win official will be seen by sports content creators and on social media for years to come.