2025 Playoffs

In an elimination game in the Semi-Finals against the Indiana Fever, something shifted for the Las Vegas Aces. It wasn’t just an A’ja Wilson lock-in that helped the Aces get over the hump that was the ridiculously resilient Fever, but contributions from her “supporting cast” that got Las Vegas to yet another championship series &#8211; their fifth appearance since the calendar turned to 2020.
Supporting cast is also a highly disrespectful way to describe the talent of Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, two veterans who have now experienced three championships in four years with one another, and with Wilson. The duo lifted the Aces past the Fever in overtime in that series, both combining for 49 points, 16 assists, four steals, and six rebounds in the win. 
Those three, as talented as they are, were also led and supported by one of the greatest coaches in WNBA history in Becky Hammon. She’s a huge part of why the Aces can never, ever, be counted out. Along the way this year, as Wilson said in her postgame press conference following the team’s series win, Hammon’s leadership was key to keeping this team afloat through a tumultuous 2025. 
<div id="attachment_205320" style="width: 970px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205320" class="wp-image-205320" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854533.jpg" alt="Head Coach Becky Hammon, A'ja Wilson #22, Chelsea Gray #12 and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces speak to the media following Game Four of the 2025 WNBA Finals" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854533.jpg 8241w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854533-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />Head Coach Becky Hammon, A&#8217;ja Wilson #22, Chelsea Gray #12 and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces speak to the media following Game Four of the 2025 WNBA Finals</div>
“Becky has done tremendous things for this franchise. And, it’s not just her basketball mind. It’s the way she can form relationships and bonds with people, and I think that’s what you see in winning cultures. Your leader is so important to you. You want to win and play for her. So, we’re grateful, obviously. You keep bringing championships to Vegas. We’re just happy to be on the ride with you,” said Wilson. 
In addition to Wilson and Hammon’s elite leadership throughout this year, Gray, who is going to go down as one of the best point guards in WNBA history, finished up her immaculate postseason by moving up to 7th place all-time on the Finals scoring list with 298 points. She also moved into 3rd place all-time in steals in the Finals with 34, 8th all-time for total playoff games played with 65, and 3rd all time in Aces franchise history postseason scoring with 616 points. 
Young, to boot, tied Sue Bird during the postseason with the most postseason games with at least five assists in the first quarter of a contest with four. 
This big three, which at one was part of an Aces team headed into the All-Star break heralding a  14-14 record and an abysmal chance at even making the postseason, let alone winning the Finals, seemed to become a different team. They won 16 straight games after experiencing a 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx back in August, motivated to not let the year end on such a low note.
<div id="attachment_205321" style="width: 970px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205321" class="wp-image-205321" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239851807.jpg" alt="A'ja Wilson #22, Jackie Young #0, and Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces pose for a photo with the 2025 WNBA Championship trophy" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239851807.jpg 5580w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239851807-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />A&#8217;ja Wilson #22, Jackie Young #0, and Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces pose for a photo with the 2025 WNBA Championship trophy</div>
When asked what made this championship a bit sweeter for all involved, Gray said the journey &#8211; with its .500 twists and streaky turns &#8211; has led to this Finals victory becoming one for the books for Las Vegas. 
“To be here right now, and where we were in May and June, there was a lot of doubt in that locker room. But, we had confidence in each other. I’m just really proud of how we stayed the course and trusted the process the entire time.”
That confidence, oozed mainly by Wilson en route to her fourth Most Valuable Player victory and another Defensive Player of the Year honor, changed the landscape of the postseason entirely. Las Vegas, previously sleepwalking through the season, had suddenly emerged as a powerhouse to fear once again. They climbed over the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty in the stands, snagging the 2nd seed after nearly landing on the outside looking in.
In addition to Wilson, Gray, and Young completely re-shaping the outcome of the Aces season, smaller moves that underwhelmed some ended up becoming paramount to their resurgence. Signing Dana Evans, a championship-experienced veteran guard, and NaLyssa Smith, a proper backup forward to Wilson, ended up helping Las Vegas solve one of their biggest issues headed into the 2025 season &#8211; the lack of a cohesive bench unit.  
Evans finished up the postseason averaging 8.4 points per game and 2.9 assists per game on 53.3 percent shooting from three point range and 46.8 percent shooting from the field overall. Smith, on the way to winning her first championship in her fourth season in the WNBA, averaged 7.1 points per game, five rebounds, and one block in 23 minutes per game. 
Adding another former champion in Jewell Loyd to that bench &#8211; acquired in a blockbuster trade to kick off the season &#8211; was simply unfair. She managed to spark the Aces’ offense in key moments along their playoff run, hitting threes at a clip of 41.3 percent on 5.3 attempts per game. Someone of Loyd&#8217;s talent getting moved to the bench could’ve been a misfire &#8211; instead, it brought her back to life on the court. 
<div id="attachment_205322" style="width: 970px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-205322" class="wp-image-205322" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854759.jpg" alt="Dana Evans #11 of the Las Vegas Aces holds up the 2025 WNBA Championship trophy" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854759.jpg 7407w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854759-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/10/GettyImages-2239854759-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />Dana Evans #11 of the Las Vegas Aces holds up the 2025 WNBA Championship trophy</div>
This Finals series was set to be a far more competitive one. A sweep was seemingly out of the question between a 2 seed and a 4 seed. You would’ve been hard pressed to find a prediction regarding this series that didn’t include the phrases “it’ll be hard fought,” or “this is going to seven games.”
The Phoenix Mercury, with their own hardware and history, looked primed to get their first championship trophy since 2014. Health was on their side to begin this series &#8211; but, it was also on the side of the Aces. In a postseason of attrition, we were seeing the two teams that managed to stay relatively healthy in the Finals. 
While we did get to see some competitive bouts between these two squads in this series &#8211; Game 3 ending on a game-winning shot from Wilson, and Game 1 being decided by just three points &#8211; you knew that this was the Aces series to lose. 
Their big three came out as the most consistent against Phoenix’s own star trio in Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, and Satou Sabally. Sabally, who unfortunately went down in Game 3 with a scary concussion, couldn’t get back in time for Game 4 and Phoenix’s last push to try and prevent a sweep. 
Las Vegas, as they have in their last three championships, came out as the most cohesive, chemistry-filled, and motivated team between the two vying to hoist the championship trophy at halfcourt. Their dynasty is officially set in stone. And, you can just tell they’re not done dominating with this core just yet.

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A Dynasty Defined: Inside Las Vegas’ 2025 Championship Run

AP Recap

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson and Dana Evans each scored 21 points, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 89-86 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
Wilson scored 12 of her points over the final 14 minutes, and Phoenix’s Satou Sabally missed a long 3-pointer with 2 seconds left that would have tied it.
Game 2 is Sunday in Las Vegas.
Evans led an Aces bench that outscored the Mercury’s reserves 41-16. Reserve Jewell Loyd scored 18 points for second-seeded Las Vegas, and starter Jackie Young had 10. Wilson had 10 rebounds, and Chelsea Gray had 10 assists.
Kahleah Cooper scored 21 points for the fourth-seeded Mercury. Sabally added 19 points and Alyssa Thomas had 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Copper scored 19 points in the first half, one off her playoff career high for a half. Her personal best also came against the Mercury, when she scored 20 points for Chicago in the first half of Game 3 of the 2021 Finals. Copper’s five 3-pointers in the first half topped her previous high of four for a game.
If this game was any indication, these Finals — a best-of-seven series for the first time — figure to be tight throughout. The largest lead was nine points, and there were 12 lead changes and nine ties.
The Mercury threatened to take control several times, only for the Aces to respond with a run. In the end, it was Las Vegas that nearly pulled away, only for Phoenix to keep it close.
With Phoenix down a point with 24.6 seconds left, Thomas went to the free-throw line but missed both. Young was fouled on the other end with 13.5 seconds remaining and made both free throws for the final margin.
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Game Recap: Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces (Finals, Game 1)

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Dana Evans with 21 Points vs. Phoenix Mercury

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Top Plays of the Day, 10/03/2025

Semis Game Recap

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Game Recap: Fever vs. Aces (9/30/25)

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Las Vegas Aces Top Plays vs. Indiana Fever

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Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever - Game Highlights

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Game Recap: Aces vs. Fever (9/26/25)

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Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces - Game Highlights

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Dana Evans

<ul>
<li>2025 WNBA Champion (Las Vegas Aces)</li>
<li>2021 WNBA Champion (Chicago Sky)</li>
<li>2021 WNBA All-Rookie Team</li>
<li>Selected No. 13 overall (first in the second round) by Dallas in the 2021 WNBA Draft.</li>
<li>Spent her first WNBA offseason playing in Hungary and since then has competed for Besiktas in Turkey.</li>
<li>A two-time All-American at Louisville, averaged 12.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 3.9 apg over 135 games in her four-year career.</li>
<li>2020 and 2021 ACC Player of the Year</li>
<li>2019 ACC Sixth Player of the Year</li>
<li>2018 ACC All-Freshman Team</li>
</ul>