Aces title takeaways: Las Vegas cements dynasty, A'ja builds legacy
The Las Vegas Aces solidified themselves as a dynasty, defeating the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 in Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals on Friday to capture their third championship in four years.
Another title seemed unfathomable when the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx handed the Aces a league-record 53-point defeat on their home floor two months ago.
But Las Vegas responded with 16 straight wins to end the regular season, and the team showed its championship grit at various points in the playoffs.
Here are four takeaways from the Aces' latest title run.
Aces remain gold standard
There's more than one way to build a championship team, but the draft remains the best route to sustained success. Las Vegas' star duo of A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young were selected first overall in back-to-back years. Ex-Aces guard Kelsey Plum, who was a key starter on their previous two title-winning squads, was the club's top selection in the 2017 draft. Not every team will get the No. 1 overall pick in three consecutive seasons, but establishing a solid foundation through the draft should be the first step in every rebuild.
Las Vegas' front office was subsequently able to identify the right pieces to complement that homegrown core. The Aces signed Chelsea Gray in free agency four years ago to give themselves a proven option at the point. Alysha Clark arrived in 2023 as a free agent and earned Sixth Player of the Year honors that season. The veteran was also a key offensive contributor in their Finals triumph over the New York Liberty. The franchise found success with a similar formula this year, as offseason additions Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans provided a spark off the bench against the Mercury.
A'ja approaching GOAT status
Sheryl Lee Ralph recently narrated a Nike commercial celebrating Wilson's record-setting fourth WNBA MVP award. The Emmy-winning actress states, "Just when you think she can't do more, she does," before rattling off Wilson's long list of accolades.
It's a fitting summation of Wilson's postseason, as the seven-time All-Star continually found ways to elevate her game. Wilson tied a playoff career high with 38 points in Las Vegas' series-clinching win over the Seattle Storm in the opening round. The South Carolina standout came through again in the team's semifinal closeout victory versus the Indiana Fever, joining Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker as the only players with at least four points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a playoff game, per ESPN Research.
Wilson raised the bar once more in the championship series. She was the first player to produce back-to-back 25-point, 10-rebound performances in the WNBA Finals. Wilson's Game 3-winning jumper gave her a Finals career-high 34 points and the league's all-time record for 30-point games in the postseason. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year also tallied a WNBA-record 54 stocks during the Aces' playoff run.
Wilson joined exclusive company Friday as one of six multi-time Finals MVP winners and is now halfway to Cynthia Cooper's all-time record of four. She's the only NBA or WNBA player to capture the scoring title, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou. Her 114 points during the Finals and 322 points overall during the entire playoff are both WNBA records, per ESPN Insights. Wilson's accomplished all of this at age 29, just eight years into her career.
Young reaches another level
Wilson has rightfully commanded most of the spotlight, but Young's emergence as a bona fide No. 2 option hasn't gone unnoticed. The seventh-year guard looked and played with as much confidence as she's ever had. Young registered a career-best 20.4 points on 49.4% shooting across 12 playoff appearances. She was a weapon in the pick-and-roll and kept defenders off balance with her ability to seamlessly change speeds on drives to the rim. When Young was in an off-ball role, she made timely cuts to the basket. The four-time All-Star was never hesitant to pull up from the mid-range or beyond the arc when opposing defenses gave her the slightest space.
Young and Wilson each topped 30 points in the Aces' Game 5 overtime victory against the Fever, becoming the first pair of teammates to accomplish the feat in the same playoff game. Young had an equally impressive showing less than a week later, dropping 32 points - including a Finals-record 21 in the third quarter - to help Las Vegas take a 2-0 series lead.
Young took on more playmaking responsibilities when Plum was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks during the offseason. She formed an effective two-man game with Wilson, often hitting the Aces superstar in stride on pocket passes. Young always had her head on a swivel when handling the rock. The Indiana native displayed tremendous court vision, hitting baseline cutters, creating for others off a live dribble, and setting up shooters off the drive-and-kick. Young posted a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio versus a Mercury unit that thrived on miscues and entered the Finals with the postseason's top defensive rating.
Loyd's renaissance
The Aces believed Loyd could replenish some of the scoring Plum brought to the table when they acquired her from the Storm in a three-team deal. It didn't exactly work out as Las Vegas planned - the former scoring champ asked to come off the bench midway through the campaign. Loyd had been a starter for virtually her entire career, but she wanted to put the team first. Her selfless approach was rewarded with a breakthrough Finals performance.
Loyd showed flashes of her old self against Phoenix, averaging 13.8 points and draining 44.8% of her 3-point attempts. Her eight points in the opening quarter of Game 1 turned the tide after the Mercury jumped out to an early 10-2 lead. She also made an immediate impact in the first quarter of Game 3, knocking down four straight triples to ignite a 17-0 scoring run. Loyd didn't take home Finals MVP honors, but she forced Phoenix to respect her shot, allowing Wilson more chances to feast against one-on-one coverage.