By Cassandra Cousineau for LVSportsBiz.com
In the team’s first trip to the WNBA Finals, the Las Vegas Aces came up three games short to the Seattle Storm. After earning the top seed in the playoffs thanks to a sterling 18-4 regular season record, Las Vegas was swept by Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, her Seattle teammates and a Seattle team that was the pre-season favorite. The final game on Tuesday was a complete blowout win, 92-59, for the four-time championship franchise.
The quest for the trophy staged at the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton FL, will indelibly be remembered for the 22 games played in a controlled, isolated “wubble” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every one of those games was played alongside a parallel effort to win over the hearts and minds of fans and fellow citizens across the globe. If that sounds heavy, and even hyperbolic, consider the fact that early on, the women of the WNBA led the sports world using their platform to advocate for social justice. Its players dedicated the season to Breonna Taylor and the Say Her Name movement, which raises awareness for Black female victims of police violence.
In one of her last official acts during the Finals, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert opened the 2020 championship trophy ceremony by saying, “I want to start with the following; Breonna Taylor, Michelle Cusseaux, Sandra Bland. We will continue to say her name.” The commissioner’s statement reiterated the league’s commitment to social justice from the top down. The partnership has connective tissue between players, the players union, coaches, and the league’s front office.
In just the past three years alone, there have been numerous initiatives supported by members of the WNBA. This season, in addition to Say Her Name, More Than A Vote, a voter mobilization effort was led by LeBron James. The initiative featured athletes from the WNBA and NBA organizing to increase access to polling places, and hiring young and healthy poll workers. Additionally, Maya Moore, a four-time WNBA champion and former first pick overall of the Minnesota Lynx, declined to play in the 2020 season to continue her work on criminal justice reform.
The WNBA is mostly composed of Black women. In fact, that number is 80 percent. However, the league’s collective effort to form its Social Justice Council resulted in the leadership of players like Aces star A’ja Wilson, Layshia Clarendon of the New York Liberty, former Aces guard Sydney Colson now of the Chicago Sky, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt of the Los Angeles Sparks, Satou Sabally of the Dallas Wings, and Seattle’s Breanna Stewart, among others.
Throughout the abbreviated season, Stewart was front and center as an ally, often using her voice and uniform to bring attention to the cause.
LVSportsbiz.com asked Aces guard Kayla McBride, about the impact of the mental and emotional weight carried by players both fighting for a championship and meaningful social change. McBride, who this season penned, “It’s O.K. to fall Apart,” for the online publication The Players’ Tribune, candidly shared her struggles with mental health. Those struggles again surfaced this year as a result of her needing to quarantine and being separated from competitive basketball during that time. “We’re using our platform for women who don’t have one themselves. That’s what it was about coming here and competing at the highest levels.“
McBride added, “I’m so proud of being one of the 144 women who have continued their fight.”
The All-Star also took a moment to recognize fans. “This bubble hasn’t been easy. What heals me has always been the fans. You have that feeling of getting your name called when you’re at the scorers table. When you’ve played at Mandalay Bay and you’ve played in front of our fans at the House, it’s just different. I love Vegas with all my heart. I love this organization.”
McBride summed up her appreciation of the team’s fans. “There’s a lot of emotion because you feel like you let the fans down. I Just want to say thank you guys. We missed you.”
In addition to COVID related protocols required to play, there were a lot of unknowns related to how far the Aces would go in the bubble. Liz Cambage and Kelsey Plum did not make the trip to Bradenton. Cambage was granted a medical exemption due a pre-existing condition making her a high risk to contracting the virus. Plum tore her Achilles’ tendon just before the season started. Then came the loss of Dearica Hamby. The reigning WNBA Sixth Woman of the year suffered a season ending right knee injury after Game 4 against the Connecticut Sun.
Though the end result was a let down for a team with a regular season record of 18-4, the top seed in the Western Conference earned several other accolades along the way. A’ja Wilson was named league MVP, Dearica Hamby was honored as the Sixth Woman of the Year for the second time, and Don Padover was tapped GM of the Year.
The 24-year-old Wilson solidified herself as one of the best players in the WNBA averaging 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game.
“I know it hurts. But at the end of the day you learn and grow from it,” Wilson told press after the loss. “I know I grew from it. That’s a success in my book and I’m going to keep growing.”
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