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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Latest

NaLyssa Smith

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2024 – Averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds on the season … finished No. 14 in the league for rebounds per game in 2024 … started in 37 of 40 games played … shot a career-best 48% from the floor … put up a season-high of 23 points against Seattle on 5/30 … grabbed a season-high of 15 rebounds against Phoenix on 6/30 …  reached 1,000 career points on 5/30, reaching the milestone in 72 regular season games, the 4th fastest in Fever history … part of first trio in WNBA history to put up 15+ points, 7+ rebounds and 2+ blocks in a single game.  
2023 – Indiana Fever – Smith increased averages in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounds (9.2), field goal percentage (47.7%) and free throw percentage (67.7%) during her sophomore season … finished fourth in the WNBA in rebounds per game on the season and started 28 of 31 games in 2023 … set a franchise record for most double-doubles in a season, behind only Tamika Catchings (98) and Teaira McCowan (28) … reached 500 career rebounds in 59 regular season games, the fastest in Fever history and the eighth fastest in WNBA history … pulled down 285 rebounds in 2023, the fifth most by a Fever player in a single regular … Smith was the individual champion of the 2023 Athletes Unlimited season. 
2022 – Indiana Fever – Smith earned WNBA and AP All-Rookie Honors … started all 32 games played in during the 2022 campaign … averaged 13.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and shot 41.9 percent from the field … was one of seven players in the WNBA to average at least 13 points, 7.5 rebounds and one assist per game in 2022, joining Sylvia Fowles, Jonquel Jones, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson … was the leading rebounder among rookies and sixth in the WNBA in rebounds per game … second among rookies in scoring average and averaged the second most minutes played among first-year players … earned an invitation to the WNBA Skills Challenge … invited to both the 2022 Women’s National Team Training Camp and the 2022 Women’s 3×3 AmeriCup team with USA Basketball. 
COLLEGE – Baylor, 2018-22 – totaled 2,048 points and 1,098 rebounds, making her the seventh player in Baylor history to reach at least 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds … tabbed All-Big 12 Player of the Year twice … made the All-Big 12 First Team her final three years … averaged 22.1 points,11.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.9 minutes per contest in 35 games, all of which she started during the 2021-22 season … received the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s top power forward her last two seasons, becoming the second person in the award’s history to repeat, joining Ruthy Hebard … earned seven different All-America honors, including first-team selections by Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, Associated Press, USBWA, the John R. Wooden Award and the WBCA … earned a second-team nod from the Senior CLASS Award … recognized as a first-team All-America from the Associated Press, ESPN.com, WBCA and John R. Wooden entities following her junior season … earned second-team All-America honors from the USBWA. 
INTERNATIONAL – Selected to the 2019 USA Basketball Women’s U19 National Team but withdrew due to injury concerns … selected to the 2018 Women’s U18 National Team and helped the USA to a Gold Medal win against Canada … averaged 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest in six games at the FIBA World Championships. 
PERSONAL – Born on Aug. 8, 2000 … daughter of Rodney and Nikki Smith … brother, Rodney Smith, played collegiate soccer at St. Mary’s (Kansas) and the University of Houston at Victoria. 
HIGH SCHOOL – Named McDonald’s All-American in 2018 … 2018 Naismith Trophy National High School All-American first team selection … 2018 Jordan Brand Classic All-American … one of five players named to the 2018 SLAM Magazine All-American squad … 2018 Morgan Wootten Girls High School Player of the Year Award nominee … Semifinalist for 2018 Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year … one of 20 players named to the ALL-USA Preseason Girls Basketball Team leading up to her senior season … averaged 23.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior at East Central High School … received second team All-America and Super Team honors after averaging 23.2 points, 17.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per contest as a junior … ranked No. 13 overall and No. 4 at her position by ESPN HoopGurlz … Five-star recruit…played with AAU club San Antonio’s Finest. 
CAREER TRANSACTIONS &#8211; Drafted No. 2 overall by the Indiana Fever during the 2022 WNBA Draft &#8230; acquired by the Dallas Wings via trade in Feb. 2025. 
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