The Las Vegas Aces are back-to-back champions.
The Aces took down the New York Liberty on Wednesday in a suspenseful Game 4 to win their second title.
This game went down to the final seconds.
The Liberty had a chance to extend their postseason in the last 8.8 seconds of the fourth quarter but the Aces’ Jackie Young effectively closed out and contested a potentially game-winning shot, forcing the ball to completely miss the backboard and rim.
As the final buzzer went off, Aja Wilson, who was voted to be the Finals’ MVP, immediately ran to center of the court to celebrate the victory with her teammates.
She scored 24 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked 1 shot to help Las Vegas take the game 70-69.
With this win, the Las Vegas Aces unlocked a few cool things.
First is that they became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back titles. The last teams to win repeat championships were the Houston Comets in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 and the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.
Second is that WNBA legend Candace Parker became the first and only player in league history to win rings with three different teams. She won her first championship with the Los Angeles Spark in 2016, her second with the Chicago Sky in 2021, and her third Wednesday night with the Aces.
Third is that the Aces came back from being down 9 points at the half without three key players. Starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes were out with foot injuries sustained in Game 3 and Parker has been out after undergoing foot surgery in July. Not sure if this feat has been done before in the WNBA, but it’s pretty impressive and it should count as some type of badge or accolade.
Final Thoughts
Las Vegas played great basketball this campaign and congrats to them on their victory!