Down by 50 points in an August match-up against the Minnesota Lynx, the Las Vegas Aces’ season felt over.
And, perhaps, so did their dynasty.
The 2025 Aces team just couldn’t find ways to win. The absence of Kelsey Plum, who left in the offseason for the Los Angeles Sparks, loomed large. Jewell Loyd, who was one of the league’s top scorers just a few years prior, was struggling immensely and shooting just 37.5% from the field.
And once again, Las Vegas lacked depth in the frontcourt alongside A’ja Wilson, who was having an uncharacteristically difficult season herself.
In June, the Aces dropped five of six games, beginning with a 27-point blowout loss to Golden State Valkyries.
On July 5th, after a 27-point loss to the Caitlin Clark-less Indiana Fever, SB Nation published a story titled: “The Las Vegas Aces may be in trouble. It’s safe to say the Aces’ “Dynasty Era” is over.
At the time, such a proposition hardly felt like a hot take.
But the Aces didn’t fold.
After the 53-point loss to the Lynx, Wilson sent a now-famous text to her teammates, as reported by ESPN: “If you weren’t embarrassed from yesterday, then don’t come into this gym. You’re not needed or wanted here. We need the mindset to shift, because that was embarrassing.”
It’s hard to imagine that just a few short months later, Las Vegas has a commanding 2-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. The Aces are on the cusp of their third championship in four seasons and are two wins away from once again being at the top of women’s basketball.
The in-season turnaround has been truly remarkable — a 14-14 start in the regular season quickly turned into a 17-game win streak. It’s the kind of turnaround that .500 teams dream of but rarely accomplish.
How did they do it?
For one, A’ja Wilson once again turned into the most dominant player in the league. Wilson finished the year as the league leader in points, rebounds, and blocks — and overwhelmingly won her fourth MVP. These playoffs, Wilson has averaged a ridiculous stat line of 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 2.3 steals per game.
Jackie Young, who was in a shooting slump to start the season, is now playing some of the best basketball of her career. Young exploded for 21 third-quarter points in Game 2 and has averaged 20.6 points on 52.1% shooting these playoffs. It’s her best postseason run yet, and it’s only getting better.
Then, there’s Chelsea Gray, the Aces engine and 2022 Finals MVP. Gray’s injury last year was a bit part of the Aces’ struggles, but she seems fully healthy now. The 32-year-old is averaging 10.5 points, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 steals these playoffs, and has made big-time play after big-time play.
“They’re studs,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of her star trio. “That’s why the expectation is so high.”
The Las Vegas Aces’ complete turnaround has been a full-team effort
But for an in-season comeback like this to occur, it takes more than three players. The Aces’ championship core has been exceptional, but Las Vegas is on the cusp of a championship because of the contributions of the “others” too.
NaLyssa Smith, acquired in a midseason trade, has helped form a more formidable frontcourt alongside Wilson. In Las Vegas, she’s played some of the best basketball of her career. In these playoffs, she’s averaging 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 60.7% from the field. Her biggest contributions came against the Indiana Fever, when she had back-to-back games of 16+ points to help the Aces regain a series lead in the Semi-Finals.
And off the bench, Jewell Loyd has excelled in her role. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that this Loyd is the same player who led the league in scoring in 2023, but she’s increasingly impacted winning since moving to the bench. There have been some big-time scoring games — like Game 1, when she exploded for 18 points — but many more quiet offensive performances in which she’s grabbed timely rebounds and secured key defensive stops.
Dana Evans, who struggled last year in Chicago, has been huge for Las Vegas these playoffs, averaging 8.5 points on 47.8% shooting. She lifted the Aces to victory in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, scoring 21 points — 9 of which came in the fourth quarter.
The list of contributors goes on and on. Megan Gustafson, who was barely in the rotation during the regular season, has played crucial minutes these playoffs. Kiah Stokes, who has barely played in these playoffs, came in at the end of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals to help secure the game-winning defensive stop with a masterful switch on Kahleah Copper.
Hammon deserves credit, too. The Aces head coach — a two-time WNBA champion with this core — empowered her team midseason to come up with their own game plans, a decision that has paid dividends. It takes just one postgame press conference to observe just how bought in Hammon’s players are.
The series isn’t over; starting on Wednesday, the Phoenix Mercury will have a chance to rattle off two straight wins in front of their home fans.
But right now, the Aces look to be on the brink of one of the greatest comebacks in sports.
