Parity is just a concept in the WNBA.
The league expanding and new superstars are emerging, but it’s made no difference to the Las Vegas Aces. They have continued to win, reigning as champions of the league in three of the last four seasons, including last year after an epic in-season turnaround.
The Aces have the experience and heart of champions, and with A’ja Wilson as the epicenter
of everything they do, they can rest assured that their season has a higher floor than anyone else.
So, the question becomes: How does Vegas replicate their success when every other team is trying to stop it?
The answer begins with relying on their championship DNA.
It’s something that permeates the entire franchise, from those who have been around during this entire run, like Chelsea Gray, to newer players who have just joined the party, like NaLyssa Smith.
Here’s what Gray said during media day:
Yeah, I think we’re aware of what we’re building and now we’ve set some championships and accolades and some people like, yeah, it is a dynasty. But how can we make this dynasty different than the ones that have been created before? And I think that’s like how we empower people, how we, share our stories, our journey together, will be different.
The other dynasties to compare them to in WNBA history are the Houston Comets and the Minnesota Lynx. Houston won four-straight titles, but that was back when the league was just starting so the context was quite different. Minnesota won four out of seven seasons, but never won back-to-back titles. The Aces have already done that once and are focused on doing it again.
Playing in rarified air and trying to figure out how to achieve what hasn’t been done can be an intimidating and lonely endeavor, even for an entire team.
Which is why relying on one another and how they got here to begin with is so critical, as Smith articulated at media day:
I think the culture is tremendously different here.
I think the standard is winning here. In a lot of organizations, that’s not the standard. Being in Vegas, just having that name across your chest, you gotta know that everybody wants this spot, everybody wants this opportunity.
To beat the champs, you’ve got to knock them down, and Las Vegas has proven that it’s a tough task.
Wilson will be leading the charge as the best two-way player in the WNBA. Gray is still the Point Gawd. Jackie Young is an All-Star guard who averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game last year. The Aces also added low-risk, high-reward players to the team, such as Chennedy Carter.
With these ingredients and head coach Becky Hammon leading the way, Las Vegas is the team to beat until they are eliminated. The regular season will be all about staying healthy, optimizing the rotation and figuring out how to exploit matchups against potential playoff opponents.
The Aces are already in the conversation for the greatest team ever. A title in 2026 would make it even harder to argue that they aren’t the best ever to play and would put them tied with three other franchises with four total titles.
It will be fun to see if the Aces can make history or if another team steps up to end their run. What do you think, Aces fan? Are you confident that culture, chemistry and experience can take them back to the title?
