Aces’ dynasty will go as long as Wilson, Hammon are together
PHOENIX — The book of greatness authored by the Aces was written on Dec. 31, 2021.
The day Becky Hammon was brought in to lead a team that was on the cusp of something special.
Hammon inherited a group coming off a heartbreaking five-game loss in the semifinals to the Phoenix Mercury. The lasting image in Michelob Ultra Arena was A’ja Wilson collapsing to the floor, being helped up by her teammates and nearly carried to the locker room.
That’s the last time Wilson has felt basketball heartbreak. It’s been a dynasty ever since.
For the third time in four years, the WNBA runs through Las Vegas. Hammon and Wilson won their third championship together Friday night, completing a four-game sweep of the Mercury with a 97-86 win at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“Becky has done tremendous things for this franchise,” said Wilson, now the two-time Finals MVP. “And it’s not just her basketball mind. It’s the way she can form relationships and bonds with people. I think that’s when you see winning cultures is when you see that your leader is so poured into you, you want to win and play for her.”
Coach for the ages
The Aces knew what they were getting when they made Hammon the highest-paid coach in league history with the former star point guard being under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history.
It’s why NBA teams have long been tempted by the thought of making Hammon the first female head coach in league history. She had an interview with the Toronto Raptors six months after leading the Aces to their first title.
But Hammon never once wavered in her commitment to seeing the Aces through. The relationships and bonds Wilson talks about aren’t hollow.
Hammon has created a culture that’s exuded in the greatness that Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray have inherited as the Big Three.
“This group, especially these three,” Hammon started before tears started to flow, “I love being their coach. I love being their friend. I love being a phone call for them. I love pushing them, probably sometimes to their disliking a little bit, but I’m invested in their greatness and getting that out of them everyday.”
Gray already had the championship pedigree when she joined the Aces in 2021 having won with the Los Angeles Sparks. That experience was important in 2022 when the point guard’s Finals MVP performance helped deliver the franchise’s first title.
Two championships later, Gray is still vital to the engine, but the evolution of Wilson — the four-time league MVP — and the two-time all-WNBA selection Young has taken center stage.
“I knew I was going to play with some dynamic players, some players that were going to transform the game of basketball,” Gray said. “And we all had a common goal of winning.”
A’One from Day One
Wilson has endured the ups and downs any star player goes through. She just shook them off quicker than anyone anticipated.
The only time she’s missed the playoffs was her rookie year. She’s been the face of the franchise from the first day it relocated to Las Vegas.
The Aces’ history remains intertwined with the Utah Starzz and San Antonio Silver Stars. The record books say the franchise has made the playoffs 16 times with five trips to the WNBA Finals.
Wilson has written her own book in Las Vegas. The four-time MVP is the greatest professional athlete to ever play in the city, never mind the franchise.
She’s still in her prime at 29 years old. And the league may be witness to the greatest of all time.
“Greatness is who you’re around. That’s true greatness,” Wilson said. “This group here, we were battle-tested from top to bottom. We showed up to work every single day with the mind of being great.”
League’s future
The Aces have been at the center of the WNBA’s boom. Eyes are on the league more than ever. This finals averaged 1.5 million viewers across ESPN and ABC, the most-viewed series in 25 years.
Young players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are becoming household names at the right time.
“That’s the sign of any great league. It doesn’t stay the same. It gets better,” Hammon said. “These ladies are at the top of their game and it’s the best basketball the W has ever seen from top to bottom.”
That will be a sticking point as the WNBA and its players association continue to work on a new collective bargaining agreement, which expires Oct. 31. Expansion teams in Portland, Oregon, and Toronto are supposed to start play next season.
Should everything play out the way the players hope, and there is no work stoppage, the WNBA is about to enter an unprecedented era.
What’s certain, whatever comes next, is that the new era begins with the Aces. It begins with Wilson and Hammon.
They have three rings to show for it. They won’t be the last for however long they’re together.
“Becky makes me smile every single day,” Wilson said. “When your boss is someone like that, it makes coming to work that much better.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
