2022 Las Vegas Aces season | |
---|---|
WNBA champions | |
Coach | Becky Hammon |
Arena | Michelob Ultra Arena |
Attendance | 5,607 per game |
Results | |
Record | 26–10 (.722) |
Place | 1st (Western) |
Playoff finish | WNBA Champions (Defeated Connecticut Sun 3–1 in WNBA Finals) |
Team Leaders | |
Points | Kelsey Plum – 20.2 ppg |
Rebounds | A'ja Wilson – 9.4 rpg |
Assists | Chelsea Gray – 6.1 apg |
The 2022 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 5th year the franchise is based in Las Vegas after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. The regular season began on May 6, 2022, at the Phoenix Mercury. [1]
On December 31, 2021, the Aces named former WNBA great and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon as their new head coach. [2]
The Aces started the season under Hammon in strong fashion, winning their first two games before losing a game. The team then went on a seven game winning streak to end May 9–1. The winning streak ended on the first of June, but the Aces then won their next four straight games. The end of June was not as kind to the team, as they lost three of their last four games, to finish the month 5–4. July got off to a rocky start, with the team losing two of its first three games, but then they won three of their next four before finishing the month on a four game winning streak. The winning streak would be five including the Commissioner's Cup Final. The Aces beat the Chicago Sky 93–83 to win their first Commissioner's Cup. Excluding that cup, the team finished July 8–3, and secured a berth into the 2022 WNBA Playoffs on July 24. They started the final month of the season on a two game losing streak, but won their last four games to finish the month 4–2 and secure the first seed in the playoffs. Their win in the penultimate game of the season gave them the better head-to-head record with Chicago and secured the tiebreaker for the top seed. Their final record of 26–10 in the regular season, was the highest win total in franchise history and their winning percentage of .722 was the second highest.
As the first seed in the playoffs, they had home court advantage against the eight seed Phoenix Mercury in the first round. The Aces won the first game 79–63 and cruise to a game two victory 117–80 to win the series two games to zero. In the second round they faced off against the fourth seeded Seattle Storm. Las Vegas lost the first game at home 73–76. However, they won game two 78–73 to send the series to Seattle tied. The Aces prevailed in over time in game three of the series and also won game four in Seattle to take the series three games to one. The Aces would again have home court advantage in the WNBA Finals where they matched up against the third seed Connecticut Sun. Las Vegas won the first two games at home 67–64 and 85–71 respectively. The Aces lost game three in Connecticut 76–105. However, they came back and won game four to win the series three games to one and finish as WNBA Champions. This was the first championship in franchise history. This also marked the first time a team won both the WNBA Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA Finals.
During the postseason, A'ja Wilson was named MVP, Jackie Young won Most Improved Player, Chelsea Gray was Finals MVP, and Coach Becky Hammon was named Coach of the Year in her first season.
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Mya Hollingshed | Puerto Rico | Colorado |
1 | 11 | Kierstan Bell | United States | Florida Gulf Coast |
2 | 13 | Khayla Pointer | United States | LSU |
2 | 23 | Aisha Sheppard | United States | Virginia Tech |
3 | 35 | Faustine Aifuwa | United States | LSU |
Date | Details | |
---|---|---|
December 31, 2021 | Hired Becky Hammon as head coach | |
January 7, 2022 | Extended Qualifying Offers to A'ja Wilson and Ji-Su Park [3] | |
January 15, 2022 | Renounced the rights to Clarissa dos Santos [4] | |
February 2, 2022 | Re-Signed A'ja Wilson to a Two-Year Deal [5] [6] | |
February 3, 2022 | Re-Signed Kiah Stokes to a One-Year Deal [7] | |
Re-Signed Riquna Williams to a Two-Year Deal [8] | ||
February 15, 2022 | Signed Kalani Brown to a training-camp contract [9] | |
February 24, 2022 | Hired Natalie Nakase as an Assistant coach [10] | |
March 2, 2022 | Signed Sydney Colson to a training-camp contract [11] | |
March 3, 2022 | Signed Theresa Plaisance to a training-camp contract [12] | |
March 14, 2022 | Hired Tyler Marsh as an Assistant coach [13] | |
April 8, 2022 | Waived Destiny Slocum [14] | |
Hired Natalie Williams as General Manager [15] | ||
April 10, 2022 | Traded a First and Second Round pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the #8 and #13 Picks in the 2022 WNBA draft [16] | |
April 13, 2022 | Signed Kierstan Bell, Aisha Sheppard, Faustine Aifuwa, and Mya Hollingshed to rookie-scale contracts | |
Signed Deja Winters to a training-camp contract [17] | ||
April 16, 2022 | Signed Khayla Pointer to a rookie-scale contract | |
Signed Nancy Mulkey to a training-camp contract [18] | ||
Hired Charlene Thomas-Swinson as assistant coach [19] | ||
April 18, 2022 | Waived Kalani Brown [20] | |
April 19, 2022 | Waived Faustine Aifuwa and Deja Winters [21] | |
May 2, 2022 | Waived Mya Hollingshed, Khayla Pointer, and Nancy Mulkey [22] [23] | |
May 3, 2022 | Signed Victoria Macaulay to a training-camp contract [24] | |
May 5, 2022 | Waived Victoria Macaulay | |
Temporarily Suspend Kiah Stokes due to Overseas Commitments | ||
May 16, 2022 | Signed Jackie Young to a contract extension [25] | |
May 17, 2022 | Activated Kiah Stokes from her Temporary Suspension | |
May 23, 2022 | Signed Chelsea Gray to a Contract Extension [26] | |
June 19, 2022 | Signed Iliana Rupert to a rookie-scale contract [27] | |
June 29, 2022 | Signed Dearica Hamby to a Contract Extension [28] | |
July 17, 2022 | Signed Kelsey Plum to a 2-Year Contract Extension [29] |
2022 Las Vegas Aces roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Pos. | Starter | Bench |
---|---|---|
C | Kiah Stokes | Iliana Rupert |
PF | A'ja Wilson | Dearica Hamby Theresa Plaisance |
SF | Jackie Young | Kierstan Bell |
SG | Kelsey Plum | Riquna Williams Aisha Sheppard |
PG | Chelsea Gray | Sydney Colson |
2022 pre-season game log | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||
2022 pre-season schedule |
2022 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round vs. Phoenix Mercury Won Series: 2–0
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Second Round vs. Seattle Storm Won Series: 3–1
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finals vs. Connecticut Sun Won Series: 3–1
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 playoff schedule |
# | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 9–1 |
2 | x – Chicago Sky | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 9–1 |
3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 25 | 11 | .694 | 1.0 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 5–5 |
4 | x – Seattle Storm | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–4 |
5 | x – Washington Mystics | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
6 | x – Dallas Wings | 18 | 18 | .500 | 8.0 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
7 | x – New York Liberty | 16 | 20 | .444 | 10.0 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–4 |
8 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 21 | .417 | 11.0 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–7 |
9 | e – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 4–6 |
10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
11 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 23 | .361 | 13.0 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
12 | e – Indiana Fever | 5 | 31 | .139 | 21.0 | 2–16 | 3–15 | 2–16 | 2–8 |
Notes
Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
8 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
4 | Seattle Storm | 1 | ||||||||||||
4 | Seattle Storm | 2 | ||||||||||||
5 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
7 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
2 | Chicago Sky | 2 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 3 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
6 | Dallas Wings | 1 |
Bold Series winner
Legend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader |
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kelsey Plum | 36 | 36 | 32.8 | .460 | .420 | .839 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 20.2 |
A'ja Wilson | 36 | 36 | 30.0 | .501 | .373 | .813 | 9.4 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 19.5 |
Jackie Young | 34 | 34 | 33.2 | .476 | .431 | .859 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 15.9 |
Chelsea Gray | 35 | 35 | 29.7 | .491 | .340 | .910 | 3.2 | 6.1 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 13.7 |
Dearica Hamby | 34 | 32 | 26.5 | .466 | .219 | .720 | 7.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
Riquna Williams | 21 | 0 | 18.0 | .381 | .366 | .762 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
Theresa Plaisance | 31 | 2 | 12.9 | .371 | .348 | .700 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 4.0 |
Iliana Rupert ≠ | 17 | 0 | 13.1 | .463 | .368 | .333 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.8 |
Kiah Stokes | 31 | 4 | 15.3 | .426 | .208 | .813 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.3 |
Sydney Colson | 18 | 0 | 6.8 | .313 | .273 | 1.000 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
Aisha Sheppard | 23 | 0 | 7.6 | .238 | .273 | .750 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
Kierstan Bell | 21 | 1 | 5.8 | .303 | .136 | 1.000 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chelsea Gray | 10 | 10 | 34.0 | .611 | .544 | .833 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 21.7 |
A'ja Wilson | 10 | 10 | 37.2 | .552 | .143 | .791 | 10.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 20.3 |
Kelsey Plum | 10 | 10 | 33.3 | .409 | .286 | .891 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 17.1 |
Jackie Young | 10 | 10 | 34.5 | .432 | .474 | .926 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 12.5 |
Riquna Williams | 10 | 0 | 20.3 | .348 | .358 | 1.00 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 6.9 |
Kiah Stokes | 10 | 10 | 25.9 | .486 | .200 | 1.00 | 7.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 3.7 |
Kierstan Bell | 4 | 0 | 4.8 | .667 | .600 | 0.00 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
Iliana Rupert | 7 | 0 | 7.0 | .313 | .357 | 0.00 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.1 |
Theresa Plaisance | 4 | 0 | 5.0 | .400 | .333 | 0.00 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 |
Dearica Hamby | 6 | 0 | 8.5 | .600 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
Sydney Colson | 4 | 0 | 4.8 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Aisha Sheppard | 4 | 0 | 4.0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
A'ja Wilson | Western Conference Player of the Week | May 16 | [30] |
May 31 | [31] | ||
June 21 | [32] | ||
July 25 | [33] | ||
August 15 | [34] | ||
Western Conference Player of the Month - May | June 1 | [35] | |
Western Conference Player of the Month - July | August 2 | [36] | |
WNBA All-Star Starter & Co-Captain | June 22 | [37] | |
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year | August 30 | [38] | |
All-Defensive First Team | [39] | ||
WNBA MVP | September 7 | [40] | |
All-WNBA First Team | September 15 | [41] | |
Jackie Young | Western Conference Player of the Week | May 23 | [42] |
WNBA All-Star Starter | June 22 | [37] | |
WNBA Most Improved Player | August 29 | [43] | |
Kelsey Plum | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 6 | [44] |
August 1 | [45] | ||
WNBA All-Star Starter | June 22 | [37] | |
All-Star Game MVP | July 10 | [46] | |
All-WNBA First Team | September 15 | [41] | |
Dearica Hamby | WNBA All-Star Selection | June 28 | [47] |
Chelsea Gray | Commissioner's Cup Final MVP | July 26 | |
WNBA Finals MVP | September 18 | ||
Becky Hammon | WNBA Coach of the Month - May | June 1 | [48] |
WNBA Coach of the Year | August 26 | [49] |
The WNBA All-Defensive Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches. who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Defensive Team is composed of two five-woman lineups, a first and a second team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. Starting with the 2023 season, players are selected without regard to position; this follows the WNBA having adopted a "positionless" format for the All-WNBA Team in 2022. Before 2023, each team consisted of one center, two forwards, and two guards. During that time, if there was already a center on the first team, but another center received more points than two of the guards on the first team, that center would still be on the second team.
A'ja Riyadh Wilson is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays their home games at Michelob Ultra Arena in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA Championship. The Aces also won the 2023 WNBA Championship, becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since 2001-2002, when the Los Angeles Sparks completed that feat.
The 2019 WNBA season was the 23rd season for the Las Vegas Aces franchise of the WNBA and the 2nd year the franchise was based in Las Vegas. The season tipped off on May 26, 2019 versus the Los Angeles Sparks.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 15th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The team began the season on May 14, 2022, on the road against the Dallas Wings.
The 2022 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 17th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their fourth season under head coach James Wade. They were the defending league champions after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 24th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It also was the 20th season for the franchise in Connecticut after relocating from Orlando. The season began on May 7, 2022, at the New York Liberty.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 26th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 6, 2022, versus the Chicago Sky.
The 2022 WNBA season is the current and 24th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season began on May 6, 2022, versus the Seattle Storm.
The 2022 New York Liberty season was the 26th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA. The Liberty opened the regular season on May 7, 2022, versus the Connecticut Sun.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season began on May 6, 2022, against the Las Vegas Aces and ended in the 1st round of the WNBA Playoffs against the same team. The season was marred by a number of issues, including injuries and the absence of Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia on drug charges.
The 2022 Seattle Storm season was the franchise's 23rd season in the Women's National Basketball Association. This was the first season back in the newly renovated Climate Pledge Arena.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 26th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Chicago Sky were the defending champions.
The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on July 10, 2022, at Wintrust Arena. The Chicago Sky hosted the game and related events for the first time.
The 2023 Connecticut Sun season was the 25th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the 21st season for the franchise in Connecticut after relocating from Orlando.
The 2023 New York Liberty season was the 27th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their second season under head coach Sandy Brondello.
The 2023 Dallas Wings season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 8th season for the franchise in Dallas - after relocating from Tulsa and Detroit. This was the first season under head coach Latricia Trammell.
The 2023 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 27th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the sixth year the franchise is based in Las Vegas - after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. This was also the second season under head coach Becky Hammon. They were the defending WNBA champions, after defeating the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals.
The 2023 WNBA season was the 27th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, repeated as champions after defeating the New York Liberty 3 games to 1 in the Finals.
The 2024 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 27th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the seventh year the franchise is based in Las Vegas - after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. This was the third season under head coach Becky Hammon. They were the defending WNBA champions, after defeating the New York Liberty in the 2023 WNBA Finals. In 2023, the Aces also finished with the most regular season wins in WNBA history, 34. Additionally, the Aces won back-to-back WNBA titles, and were the first team to do so since 2001–2002. The season tipped off on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at home versus the Phoenix Mercury.