There was a buzz in the air on Friday, Oct. 17 in Las Vegas near Toshiba Plaza late afternoon. From Vegas local to excited tourist, everyone was waiting in anticipation for their history-making, three-time champions to appear.
Credit: Vanessa Young/BGBM
The Las Vegas Aces made their victory run along a guided parade route through the Strip. There’s a certain kind of crowd that the Aces attract, a family-friendly, lesbian-friendly, queer-friendly, community-minded environment that is full of joy and passion. That energy is infectious and only got more ramped up as the Aces moved down Tropicana, Las Vegas Blvd, and onto Park Ave.
A celebrated, historic run for the Aces
Head Coach Becky Hammon and four-time MVP and two-time Finals MVP A’ja Wilson, along with Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith, Kierstan Bell, Megan Gustafson, Kiah Stokes, Dana Evans, Aaliyah Nye, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus thrived off the crowd’s energy from atop 2025 World Champions double decker buses.
Preceded by a very Vegas assortment of people from lowriders to Raiderettes to Aces mascot, BUCKET$, the ladies enjoyed their ride into Toshiba Plaza, carrying all three championship trophies from 2022, 2023, and 2025. The crowd shook their pink tambourines (courtesy of Wilson’s wild post-Finals celebration) in anticipation of the players’ speeches and performances from Crime Mob, Mýa, and Ludacris. PA announcer Chet Buchanan and in-arena hosts CJ Simpson and Joe Brown kept folks engaged as the players made their way down the red carpet and onto the stage.
“From worst to first.”
With the speeches came lots of laughter and some tears, but Evans, Smith, and Loyd respectively had arguably the most talked-about journeys to this Finals and made it known in their speeches.
“First, I want to thank my teammates, y’all made this year easy, even though it was a roller coaster,” Evans said. She thanked Becky for pouring into Evans and the rest of the team on and off the court, made sure to thank the entire Aces organization and especially the medical staff. “Y’all take care of y’all athletes as much as y’all can.”
Smith’s speech was a lot more succinct and to the point. “Shoutout Becky, shoutout Nikki [Fargas, Aces President], shoutout A’ja, shoutout the team, man, y’all changed my life, took me out the trenches.”
Loyd straight up called out the Seattle Storm organization, had no fear about being her most petty and shady self, and the crowd ate it up. After being labeled difficult for requesting a trade, it was very obvious Loyd was giddy about how things turned out, previously calling Vegas “the promised land.”
(She wasn’t the only player having fun clapping back, Wilson’s Re’gression Year shirt caused a lot of ripples.)
Between Gustafson’s joke about being “wide open” when Wilson hit the now-iconic game three winner during the WNBA Finals and the M’VP getting tearful addressing her head coach, the audience got to experience in-person the beautiful camaraderie that drives the 3x champions. Fireworks, confetti, and cigar smoke filled the air in Las Vegas, where a rising dynasty resides.
Oh and in case you missed it, Coach Hammon showed up and showed out with Crime Mob, outdoing her infamous 2023 celebration speech.
Writer and editor