When the beleaguered Las Vegas Aces came back from the All-Star break, their record was just 11-11 with a string of inconsistent wins after. A good chunk of Aces fans were already turning their eyes to next season, starting to give up hope that the A’ja Wilson-led team wouldn’t be making the playoffs this year.
The unfortunately historic 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2 prompted Wilson to text her teammates: “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.” Both the loss and Wilson’s brutal honesty sparked a fury that led the team to an impressive 16-game win streak to end the regular season.
A stacked deck of doubt
Expectations for the Aces were sky-high after their 27-13 2024 season ended in the semifinals to the New York Liberty, but the team got off to a rough start in 2025. The team’s struggles started in the off-season with trades that didn’t quite make sense at the time, and then translated into an uncertain bench, inconsistent shooting, and ill-timed injuries.
The addition of Jewell Loyd to the Aces starting five proved to be an uncomfortable mix, until she asked Head Coach Becky Hammon to come off the bench. When the Aces were toiling at 7th place with a 5-6 start, she was averaging 11.2 points per game, a far cry from her previous seasons with the Seattle Storm. With Loyd seeming unreliable, NaLyssa Smith still getting her legs under her, and Wilson’s injuries, this version of the Aces did not seem championship worthy.
Folks, perhaps not actual fans, were even calling for Coach Hammon to be fired from her position. An egregious overreaction but a peek into how panicked some people were that this championship-level team was collapsing in front of them.
A blowout leads to blessings
No setback, however, hit harder than the 53-point loss to the Lynx. Akin to watching a slow-moving car crash, this game was a brutal reminder that something had fundamentally shaken the Aces we knew and love. Not only did the Lynx dominate, setting a team record of 17 three-pointers made , but the Aces were exposed defensively, unable to answer back, and largely giving up by halftime. Not even Napheesa Collier’s unfortunate ankle injury could sway the course of the game in the Aces’ favor.
A comeback for the ages
After the aforementioned loss and text to the team, to say the Aces turned things around would be the understatement of the century. Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and the rest of the team went on a spectacular 16-0 run in the remainder of the regular season, putting them at a previously unthought of no. 2 seed and actual contenders for the WNBA Finals. A month after that embarrassing loss, they answered the Lynx back with a 97-87 win on Sept 4.
Stepping up defensively, passing the ball more, the bench, especially Dana Evans, continuously proving their worth, and being almost entirely healthy fueled the Aces to being a dangerous team again. Starting the season slowly and unsettled proved to be a powerful catalyst for them, while teams who started strong ended up flaming out of the playoffs.
Steamrolling to a championship
While the Seattle Storm may have ended their winning streak in game two of the semifinals, it ended up only being a blip on the Aces’ way to a third championship. After defeating the Storm in a three-game series, the Aces took down the Indiana Fever in a very physical five-game series. The Herculean effort in overcoming the poor start to the season seemed to have given the Aces the necessary confidence and improved skills to take both teams to their limits.
Those teams proved to be the biggest challenges to the Aces as they picked apart the Phoenix Mercury in four straight wins, dismantling their biggest assets, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally. Losing the first game, the Mercury couldn’t quite get their rhythm back. The Aces had answer after answer for the team that took out the Lynx in the second round and the Liberty in the first round of the playoffs.
The Aces celebrated the only way a Vegas team could: spraying bottles of champagne and beer, trolling the media in their post-game interviews, and allowing themselves to be a little bit petty to their detractors. The party continued with their celebration parade through the Las Vegas Strip, with thousands of fans excited to salute their reigning champs.
“Roller coaster” doesn’t even begin to describe this anxiety-inducing season, but the Aces can confidently say they played their best hand with the cards they were dealt. Never bet against the house.
Writer and editor