Chelsea Gray scored 20 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title in a 78-71 road win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 on Sunday.
Gray went 9 of 13 from the floor, and was named MVP after scoring 18 points during the season. The Aces improved to 4-0 in this year’s playoffs on two days’ rest. Riquna Williams scored 17 points, Kelsey Plum added 16 points for the Aces, Jackie Young had 13 and league MVP A’ja Wilson added 11 points to go along with 14 rebounds.
Vegas finished with an 8-0 run. As the noise rang out, Wilson grabbed the ball and stomped to the ground before being mobbed by his teammates.
“We won! We won! We are winning!” Wilson shouted to his teammates as they put on their championship hats and T-shirts before the trophy ceremony.
It’s the first major league title for the team from Las Vegas, and Wilson hopes this is just the beginning.
“You see it. You see it,” Wilson said at the court ceremony. “This is what we are building. This is what we do. This is it. I am very happy now. ”
Courtney Williams had 17 points to lead Connecticut and Alyssa Thomas had her second straight double-double with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Jonquel Jones scored 13 points and DeWanna Bonner scored 12.
For Aces coach Becky Hammon, who didn’t earn an honor during her WNBA career, the ring completed a decades-long pursuit. He left an assistant coaching position with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs to take over in Las Vegas, and the move paid off.
“They’re unbelievable on the court but they’re amazing people, first and foremost,” Hammon said. They care about each other. They invest in each other. It was an absolute honor to be their coach. I saw excellence and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Hammon also thanked former Aces coach Bill Laimbeer, who was on the floor for the ceremony. “He put this team together and saw the pieces,” Hammon said.
Aces owner Mark Davis, who also owns the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, was without his football team on Sunday. He was in Connecticut to receive the trophy. He held it up, then passed it to the cheering players who did the same.
“In Las Vegas, we’re world champions,” Davis said.
Gray, who overcame the nagging injuries that threatened to derail her career last season, was the WNBA Finals MVP, surprising no one after averaging 18.3 points and six assists in the series. .
“My teammates are amazing,” Gray said through tears. “I worked hard for this.”
She wasn’t a WNBA All-Star this season, and she wasn’t a first-team all-league selection, and she expressed her displeasure about that. In the end, he also got the last word.
“They can keep the All-Star and the first team,” Gray said. “I found the ring.”
