2023 Las Vegas Aces season | |
---|---|
WNBA champions | |
Coach | Becky Hammon |
Arena | Michelob Ultra Arena |
Attendance | 9,551 per game |
Results | |
Record | 34–6 (.850) |
Place | 1st (Western) |
Playoff finish | WNBA Champions (Defeated New York Liberty 3–1 in WNBA Finals) |
Team Leaders | |
Points | A'ja Wilson – 22.8 ppg |
Rebounds | A'ja Wilson – 9.5 rpg |
Assists | Chelsea Gray – 7.3 apg |
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 Aces largely kept their team intact after their championship season, only trading away Dearica Hamby, but signing former WNBA Champions Candace Parker and Alysha Clark in the offseason. This continuity proved positive in the first month of the season as the Aces went 4–0 in May. Their winning streak continued and went to seven games before they lost their first game of the season on June 8 to the Connecticut Sun. After the loss, they went on another seven game winning streak, and finished June 10–1. The winning streak continued into July, but ended on the third game of the month with a loss to Dallas. After the nine game winning streak, the Aces again won out in the month, finishing on a seven game winning streak, and finishing July with a 10–1 record. They managed to get their winning streak to eleven before losing to the New York Liberty on August 6. Their next loss would again come at the hands of New York, but this time it was in the Commissioner's Cup Final. The Aces defeated New York in the next regular season game, but would then lose to Los Angeles to end a four game regular season winning streak. The Aces won three of their next five games to finish August with an 8–4 record. During the month, they secured their playoff berth on August 2. They entered the final month of the season fighting with New York for the first seed. The Aces won all three games in September to secure the top seed on the last day of the season.
The Aces finished with a 34–6 regular season record, which was a franchise and WNBA record for number of wins. [1] This was also the first season where the WNBA played 40 games. Their .850 winning percentage was a franchise record but not a WNBA record. The Aces finished as the first seed for the playoffs.
As the first seed, the Aces faced off against the eighth seed Chicago Sky and would host the first two games of the three game series. The Aces didn't lose a quarter in Game One and took the game 87–59. The Aces dominated Game Two in similar fashion, not losing a quarter, and winning the game 92–70 to move on to the Semifinals. In the Semifinals, the Aces faced off against the Dallas Wings. The Aces would host the first two games of the five game series, and game five, if necessary. The Aces dominated Game One, only losing the fourth quarter, but winning the game 97–83. Dallas managed to win two quarters in Game Two, but the Aces won the game 91–84. Game Three, was much closer in Dallas, but the Aces used a strong second half to win the game 64–61 and moved on to the 2023 WNBA Finals.
In the Finals, the Aces faced off against the second seed, New York Liberty. The teams faced each other five times during the regular season, going 2–2 against each other, but the Aces lost the Commissioner's Cup. The Aces used a strong second half to win Game One 99–82. In Game Two, they dominated the first quarter, and again dominated the second half to win 104–76. The Aces only needed to win one of the last three games to retain their title. The Liberty clawed one game back in New York, winning Game Three 87–73. In Game Four, the Aces, as they often had in the playoffs, had a strong second half, and won the game 70–69. The Aces became the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002 to win back to back WNBA Championships, taking the Finals three games to one.
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 | 36 | Brittney Davis | United States | Alabama |
Date | Details | |
---|---|---|
January 21, 2023 | Traded Dearica Hamby and a 2024 First-Round Pick to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the negotiating rights to Amanda Zahui B and a 2024 Second-Round Pick [2] | |
February 1, 2023 | Signed Candace Parker to a 1-Year Deal [3] | |
Signed Alysha Clark to a 2-Year Deal [4] | ||
Signed Cayla George to a 1-Year Deal [5] | ||
Signed Alexis Peterson and Courtney Range to Training Camp Contracts [6] | ||
February 5, 2023 | Traded the negotiating rights to Amanda Zahui B to the Washington Mystics for 2024 and 2025 Second-Round Picks [7] | |
February 6, 2023 | Waived Iliana Rupert [8] | |
Signed Sydney Colson to a Training Camp Contract [9] | ||
February 7. 2023 | Signed Kiah Stokes to a 1-Year Deal [10] | |
April 12, 2023 | Signed Elizabeth Balogun to a Training Camp Contract [11] | |
April 14, 2023 | Signed Brittany Davis to a Rookie Scale Contract | |
April 24, 2023 | Waived Elizabeth Balogun [12] | |
May 9, 2023 | Waived Aisha Sheppard, Courtney Range, and Brittany Davis [13] | |
May 15, 2023 | Waived Alexis Peterson [14] | |
June 30, 2023 | Signed A'ja Wilson to a Contract Extension [15] | |
July 19, 2023 | Signed Ashley Joens to a 7-Day Contract [16] | |
July 26, 2023 | Signed Ashley Joens to a 2nd 7-Day Contract [17] | |
August 6, 2023 | Signed Alaina Coates to a 7-Day Contract [18] | |
August 10, 2023 | Signed Alaina Coates to a 2nd 7-Day Contract [19] | |
August 16, 2023 | Signed Alaina Coates to a 3rd 7-Day Contract | |
August 23, 2023 | Signed Alaina Coates to a Hardship Contract [20] |
Additions
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2023 Las Vegas Aces roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pos. | Starter | Bench |
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PG | Chelsea Gray | Sydney Colson |
SG | Kelsey Plum | Riquna Williams |
SF | Jackie Young | Alysha Clark Kierstan Bell |
PF | Candace Parker | Cayla George |
C | A'ja Wilson | Kiah Stokes |
2023 pre-season game log Total: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0) | ||||||||||||||||||
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May: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
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2023 pre-season schedule |
2023 playoff game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round vs. Chicago Won Series: 2–0
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Semifinals vs. Dallas Won Series: 3–0
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Finals vs. New York Liberty Won Series: 3–1
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2023 playoff schedule |
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 34 | 6 | .850 | – | 18–2 | 19–1 | 15–5 | 9–1 |
2 | x – New York Liberty | 32 | 8 | .800 | 2 | 16–4 | 15–5 | 17–3 | 7–3 |
3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 27 | 13 | .675 | 7 | 14–6 | 13–7 | 14–6 | 7–3 |
4 | x – Dallas Wings | 22 | 18 | .550 | 12 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 6–4 |
5 | x – Atlanta Dream | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 6–4 |
6 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 5–5 |
7 | x – Washington Mystics | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 9–11 | 12–8 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
8 | x – Chicago Sky | 18 | 22 | .450 | 16 | 5–15 | 7–13 | 11–9 | 3–7 |
9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 17 | 23 | .425 | 17 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
10 | e – Indiana Fever | 13 | 27 | .325 | 21 | 5–15 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 2–8 |
11 | e – Seattle Storm | 11 | 29 | .275 | 23 | 8–12 | 4–16 | 7–13 | 4–6 |
12 | e – Phoenix Mercury | 9 | 31 | .225 | 25 | 2–18 | 8–12 | 1–19 | 1–9 |
Notes
Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | ||||||||||||
4 | Dallas Wings | 2 | ||||||||||||
5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
2 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
2 | New York Liberty | 2 | ||||||||||||
7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | New York Liberty | 3 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
6 | Minnesota Lynx | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A'ja Wilson | 40 | 40 | 30.7 | .557 | .310 | .812 | 9.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 22.8 |
Kelsey Plum | 39 | 39 | 32.4 | .475 | .389 | .912 | 2.4 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 18.7 |
Jackie Young | 40 | 40 | 31.5 | .523 | .449 | .867 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 17.6 |
Chelsea Gray | 40 | 40 | 32.2 | .490 | .421 | .897 | 4.0 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 15.3 |
Candace Parker | 18 | 18 | 23.6 | .465 | .333 | .893 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 9.0 |
Alysha Clark | 39 | 1 | 22.5 | .444 | .386 | .818 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 6.7 |
Kierstan Bell | 36 | 0 | 11.8 | .346 | .244 | .600 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.7 |
Cayla George | 32 | 0 | 8.5 | .288 | .234 | .000 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.3 |
Kiah Stokes | 40 | 22 | 19.8 | .434 | .185 | .500 | 5.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.2 |
Sydney Colson | 28 | 0 | 4.8 | .444 | .375 | .833 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 |
Alaina Coates ≠ | 10 | 0 | 3.0 | .800 | .000 | .250 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.9 |
Ashley Joens ‡ | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
‡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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A'ja Wilson | 9 | 9 | 33.2 | .554 | .500 | .831 | 11.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 23.8 |
Kelsey Plum | 9 | 9 | 36.8 | .417 | .403 | .875 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 18.3 |
Jackie Young | 9 | 9 | 34.8 | .421 | .415 | .914 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 16.7 |
Chelsea Gray | 8 | 8 | 35.9 | .436 | .355 | 1.00 | 4.8 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 15.6 |
Alysha Clark | 9 | 1 | 24.1 | .529 | .318 | .929 | 4.4 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 8.2 |
Kiah Stokes | 8 | 8 | 26.1 | .563 | .500 | 1.00 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.8 |
Cayla George | 8 | 1 | 6.0 | .200 | .250 | 1.00 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
Kierstan Bell | 8 | 0 | 6.3 | .167 | .000 | 1.00 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
Sydney Colson | 7 | 0 | 4.9 | .250 | .000 | .000 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Alaina Coates | 6 | 0 | 1.8 | 1.00 | .000 | .000 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
A'ja Wilson | WNBA All-Star Starter & Captain | June 25 | [21] |
Western Conference Player of the Week | June 27 | [22] | |
July 25 | [23] | ||
August 15 | [24] | ||
August 29 | [25] | ||
Player of the Month - June | July 5 | [26] | |
Player of the Month - July | August 2 | [27] | |
Player of the Month - August | September 6 | [28] | |
Defensive Player of the Year | September 22 | [29] | |
All-Defensive First Team | September 22 | [30] | |
All-WNBA First Team | October 15 | [31] | |
WNBA Finals MVP | October 18 | [32] | |
Jackie Young | WNBA All-Star Starter | June 25 | [21] |
All-WNBA Second Team | October 15 | [31] | |
Chelsea Gray | WNBA All-Star Starter | June 25 | [21] |
Western Conference Player of the Week | August 2 | [33] | |
All-WNBA Second Team | October 15 | [31] | |
Kelsey Plum | WNBA All-Star | July 1 | [34] |
Becky Hammon | Coach of the Month - June | July 5 | [26] |
Alysha Clark | Sixth Player of the Year | September 18 | [35] |
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 club of the league's 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 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season for the Las Vegas Aces franchise of the WNBA. This was the franchise's inaugural season in Las Vegas, after moving from San Antonio during the off season. The season tips off on May 20.
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 2020 Las Vegas Aces season is the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the 3rd year the franchise was based in Las Vegas. The regular season tipped off on July 26, 2020 versus the Chicago Sky.
The 2020 Seattle Storm season was the franchise's 21st season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season was originally scheduled to tip off at home versus the Dallas Wings on May 15, 2020. However, the beginning of the 2020 WNBA schedule was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortened season tipped off on July 25, 2020, versus the New York Liberty.
The 2020 WNBA Finals, officially WNBA Finals 2020 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2020 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Finals feature the top seeded Las Vegas Aces facing off against the second seed Seattle Storm. Despite losing both regular season meetings against Las Vegas, the Storm dominated the series, sweeping the Aces in three straight games. Led by Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, Seattle won all three games by double-digits, claiming their second title in three years and fourth in franchise history.
The 2021 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 25th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the 4th year the franchise was based in Las Vegas. The regular season tipped off on May 15, 2021 at the Seattle Storm.
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 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.
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 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 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 2023 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2023 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2023 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the first-seeded Las Vegas Aces facing off against the second-seeded New York Liberty. The Aces defeated the Liberty in 4 games, winning their second WNBA Championship in a row. The Aces became the first team in twenty one years, and only the third in history to repeat as WNBA Champions.
The 2024 Las Vegas Aces season is 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 is the third season under head coach Becky Hammon. They are 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.