Las Vegas Aces Beat Sun for First WNBA Championship

As Connecticut players exited the court in tears, Sun center Jonquel Jones walked the length of the floor into the Aces’ celebration to hug and congratulate Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson. As Jones walked away, she paused to clap and thank the fans multiple times before heading to the locker room.

Bill Laimbeer, who had been the Aces’ coach for four years, stepped down before the season. The Aces hired Becky Hammon, who had been an assistant with the N.B.A.’s San Antonio Spurs. She took over a team led by A’ja Wilson, who won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2020.

As Hammon guided the Aces to the first seed, she said she saw glimpses of the style of play that had kept the Aces from winning a title. But that shifted in the Aces’ semifinal win over the Storm, during which Hammon said the players were “choosing each other” and learned how to “take a punch.”

That proved true as the Aces found ways to win playoff games while their stars struggled and they faced deficits — finally shaking the reputation of a team with unfulfilled potential. Wilson, 26, also won her second M.V.P. Award this season and was named the defensive player of the year.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/18/sports/basketball/aces-sun-wnba-finals-championship.html