Aces Third Title in Four Years Cement Dynasty with Finals Sweep

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PHOENIX, AZ – The coronation is complete. With a decisive 97-86 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 on Friday night, the Las Vegas Aces secured the franchise’s third WNBA championship in the last four seasons, sweeping the Finals in what was the league’s first best-of-seven series. The win firmly plants the Aces’ flag in the ground as the WNBA’s newest dynasty, a status earned through a blend of transcendent superstar talent and relentless team-wide offensive firepower.

At the heart of this historic run is A’ja Wilson, who delivered a Finals performance for the ages. The superstar center, already a four-time regular-season MVP and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, finished her spectacular season by claiming her second Finals MVP award. In doing so, she became the first player in WNBA (or NBA) history to win the Scoring Title, Regular Season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same year—a monumental achievement that places her name in an elite, solitary class.

“You have your Mount Rushmore, she’s alone on Everest,” a tearful Aces coach Becky Hammon said of Wilson after the game.

The Sweep: Dominance Tempered by Grit

While the 4-0 sweep suggests overwhelming dominance, the series was not without its tense moments. The Aces’ offensive engine, which averaged over 90 points in the series, consistently overwhelmed the Mercury, but Phoenix proved resilient:

Game 3 Heroics: The pivotal moment arrived in Game 3 in Phoenix. After the Aces coughed up a 17-point lead, a back-and-forth final minute left the game tied at 88. With the ball and seconds ticking away, Hammon gave a simple, ultimate directive: “You give the ball to A’ja and get out of the way.” Wilson delivered, hitting a tough, seven-foot fadeaway jumper with seconds left to seal a 90-88 victory and put Las Vegas on the brink.
Game 4 Clincher: The Aces came out firing in Game 4, building a lead they never relinquished. Behind Wilson’s 31 points and 17-of-19 free-throw shooting, Las Vegas took a 54-38 lead into halftime. Though the depleted Mercury—playing without concussed Satou Sabally and with an injured Alyssa Thomas returning after a scary shoulder hit—mounted a furious run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to six, veteran point guard Chelsea Gray answered the call. Gray, who finished with 18 points, buried a pair of clutch three-pointers to push the lead back to a safe distance, effectively ending Phoenix’s last gasp. Jackie Young also added 18 points in the finale.

From Vulnerability to Invincibility

This championship run will be remembered not just for the Finals sweep, but for the adversity the team overcame earlier in the season. The Aces found themselves in early August and suffered a stunning, record-breaking 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx. That defeat, which Hammon described as a moment that “could have torn the team apart,” instead became a crucible.

The team rallied, winning their final 16 regular-season games and going from that point onward, playoffs included. Their playoff path to the Finals was also a gauntlet, requiring a late-game winner in the opening round against Seattle and an overtime victory in a decisive Game 5 against the Indiana Fever in the semifinals. The final sweep of the Mercury was the ultimate testament to the team’s ability to coalesce under pressure.

“This team has been through hell and back,” Gray remarked. “What a run!”

The Dynasty Question

With three championships in four years (2022, 2023, 2025), the “dynasty” label is no longer a question—it’s a simple fact. The Aces join only six other franchises to win at least three WNBA titles, and their dominance in this four-year window is second only to the Houston Comets’ legendary first four titles.

Yet, as the champagne flows and Wilson dances at the press conference, shaking a pink tambourine as a “symbol of the joyfulness,” the future holds a degree of uncertainty. Much of the championship core, including Wilson, Young, Gray, and Jewell Loyd, is slated for free agency next season. As the league enters a period of negotiation for a new collective bargaining agreement, the question shifts from “Are they a dynasty?” to “How long can this dynasty last?”

For now, the answer lies in the hands of the reigning champions. They’ve set the standard. They are the Vegas dynasty, and for the third time, they are on top of the WNBA world.