Las Vegas Aces Celebrate WNBA Championship With Finals Game 4 Win Over Connecticut Sun On Road Sunday
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By Cassandra Cousineau, WNBA/Aces Writer
The Las Vegas Aces have won the Vegas market’s first major league sports championship with a 78-71 win over the Connecticut Sun to win the Finals three games to one Sunday afternoon.
When the Game 4 clock expired, Aces star A’ja Wilson ran down the court exalting, “We champs! We champs! We champs!”
I always felt like Vegas was the standard. When you have an owner like Mark Davis, the sky is the limit for this franchise. — Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson
Wilson, the WNBA MVP, also won a college national championship at South Carolina. And she’s an Olympic Gold medalist, the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and the winner of two league MVPs (2020, 2022).
The Aces and Clark County will celebrate their WNBA championship on the Strip on Tuesday. The rally route will begin at Caesars Palace and continue on Las Vegas Blvd. S, culminating at a stage in front of the Bellagio fountains with remarks from team players, coaches staff, Gov. Steve Sisolak and Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft.
Aces owner Mark Davis celebrated on the court with team president Nikki Fargas and proclaimed, “Las Vegas, we are world champions.”
Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who added key scoring in the Aces’ postseason championship run, was the Finals MVP.
“I worked so hard for this,” Gray said after the Aces victory.
The Aces’ title is the first championship for a franchise that was moved from San Antonio and re-branded from the Stars into the Aces by MGM Resorts International. Former MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren was a key driver in the hotel-casino company acquiring the WNBA franchise in 2018 to play at the Mandalay Bay arena.
Davis bought the franchise in January 2021.
Davis was in Connecticut to watch the Aces win Game 4 instead of in Las Vegas to watch his Raiders play the Arizona Cardinals in the Raiders’ home-opener in Allegiant Stadium.
Also in Connecticut was the Aces’ first head coach in Las Vegas, Bill Laimbeer, who guided the Aces into the playoffs the last three seasons.
It was Becky Hammon, a well-known basketball coach from her work with NBA San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who was hired by Davis for $1 million a year and led the Aces to the title. The franchise played in Utah before San Antonio.
My journey’s not by mistake — Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon
County Commissioner Michael Naft released this statement: “Like all Clark County residents I am so proud of our Las Vegas Aces.
“The Aces have brought home Las Vegas’ first major league national championship trophy something we could have only dreamed of when I was growing up here. This dream come true cements our reputation as ‘the greatest arena on earth.’ The players, Coach Becky Hammon and her staff, and team owner Mark Davis are to be applauded and congratulated on this incredible feat. Clark County could not be prouder.”
