The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 on Friday night to complete a four-game sweep and capture their third WNBA championship in four years, cementing their status as the league’s premier dynasty.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in Game 4, earning Finals MVP honors after averaging 28.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in the series. The sweep marked the first best-of-seven WNBA Finals in league history.
“You have your Mount Rushmore, she’s alone on Everest,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson. “There’s no one around.”
Las Vegas started the season slowly, sitting at .500 on August 2 following a 53-point loss. The team then rattled off a 16-game winning streak to end the regular season and secured the No. 2 playoff seed.
The Aces faced challenging first-round and semifinal series that went the distance before dominating the Finals. Their path differed significantly from their 2022 and 2023 championships, when they entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
“This one hits differently because it was different,” said Hammon, who is now 10-2 in WNBA Finals games. “There was probably a lot more adversity than any of us anticipated.”
The Aces never trailed in Game 4, leading by 16 at halftime. Phoenix rallied to within six points in the fourth quarter after coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected on a double technical, but Las Vegas held on for the road victory.
Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young each scored 18 points, while Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans combined for 22 points off the bench.
Wilson became just the third player to win multiple Finals MVP awards, joining Cynthia Cooper (four) and Breanna Stewart (two). With Wilson and Young still in their prime at ages 29 and 28, the Aces remain positioned for sustained success.
Almost every player not on a rookie contract will be a free agent for the 2026 season, pending a new collective bargaining agreement.