The Las Vegas Aces win their first-ever WNBA Championship, and WNBA Twitter is losing it over a fantastic WNBA Finals run.
The Las Vegas Aces win their first-ever WNBA Championship, and it’s tough to pick a headline.
There’s the tear the Aces have been on ever since the All-Star break, which A’ja Wilson spoke to before the WNBA Finals kicked off:
"“Being the No. 1 seed, considering that people looked at us crazy heading into All-Star break on a losing streak, I think it’s something that’s pretty special and it speaks about our system here in this franchise.”"
Wilson’s season is deserving of a series, hinted at in a recent Nike “Run It Back” ad. If Wilson won WNBA Finals MVP, she would have become the first person to win Defensive Player of the Year, league MVP and Finals MVP since Hakeem Olajuwon did it in 1994.
But it wasn’t just A’ja who made the dream a reality. Chelsea Gray, the recipient of the WNBA Finals MVP trophy, boosted the Aces offense in key Game 1, 2 and 4 victories.
Chelsea Gray getting buckets to force you to call a timeout and then also accidentally running into you as you try and call that timeout has to be a lot to process. pic.twitter.com/slxZfhZkOq
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 18, 2022
Chelsea Gray too smooth with it ♨️
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2022
Aces lead 25-18
(via @WNBA)pic.twitter.com/UMzPYNcypP
Gray wasn’t named an All-Star this year, but she said she was happy to “keep the ring.”
Chelsea Gray said I don’t need to be an all star this year, I’ll just be Commissioner’s Cup MVP, Finals MVP and get a Commish Cup title and @WNBA Championship 💅🏾 heard
— Arielle (Ari) Chambers (@ariivory) September 18, 2022
Today, the Aces are world champions, and announcers are already debating whether or not it’s the beginning of a Sin City dynasty.
Best memes and tweets in incredible Aces WNBA Championship win
The WNBA and news organizations were ready with the perfect graphics to celebrates the Aces win.
🏆 CHAMPIONS 🏆
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 18, 2022
For the first time in franchise history, the @LVAces are #WNBA Champs, defeating the Connecticut Sun 3-1 in the #WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV to take the title ‼️#MoreThan pic.twitter.com/KjErTsQTIM
🏆 Congratulations to the @LVAces on becoming the 2022 WNBA Champions! #MoreThan https://t.co/qTSO8H2mZ5
— NBA (@NBA) September 18, 2022
WNBA CHAMPIONS 🏆 @LVAces win their first championship in franchise history‼️ pic.twitter.com/0wqpo7e0tc
— espnW (@espnW) September 18, 2022
THE LAS VEGAS ACES ARE CHAMPIONS!
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 18, 2022
The Aces defeat the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 to take home the franchise’s first WNBA championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/77o4TzvhTX
THE LAS VEGAS ACES ARE WNBA CHAMPIONS ♠️ @HighlightHER pic.twitter.com/ehMrhst9Q8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2022
IT'S ALL COMING UP ACES.
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) September 18, 2022
The @LVAces end the 2022 @WNBA on top and win their first title in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/avdzY4QVk6
THE MOMENT THE ACES BECAME WNBA CHAMPIONS‼️ pic.twitter.com/emC4kITJdw
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 18, 2022
THAT’S GAME!!!!!! THE LAS VEGAS ACES ARE YOUR 2022 @WNBA CHAMPIONS 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/HA2gqVJBOh
— WSLAM (@wslam) September 18, 2022
THE LAS VEGAS ACES ARE THE 2022 WNBA CHAMPIONS! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/JSZJ2PYJPf
— NBA TV (@NBATV) September 18, 2022
“Point Gawd” Chelsea Gray lauded for winning WNBA Finals MVP
Of course, there had to be posts dedicated to the Point Gawd, Chelsea Gray.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1571627532235034624?s=20&t=h9H7zeMT8uYEApLjks3yVw
𝗧𝗛𝗔 #𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗚𝗔𝗪𝗗𝗗𝗗𝗗𝗗 👑@cgray209 is the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 @WNBA 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗠𝗩𝗣!#RaiseTheStakes // #WNBAChampions pic.twitter.com/2weNJGRaTS
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/1571628229156376592?s=20&t=h9H7zeMT8uYEApLjks3yVw
Now Chelsea Gray does deserve a bigger Finals MVP trophy — what’s with the W giving Aces players the smallest trophies? Just another testament to how dominant this team has been in 2022: Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray have racked up the accolades.
WNBA gotta invest in bigger trophies we’re begging you 😭 pic.twitter.com/QHesGWo8WR
— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) September 18, 2022
Celebrating Wilson and Hammon was a must, as these two worked together to make their mark in WNBA history.
What an absolutely unbelievable season by the Las Vegas Aces and first year head coach Becky Hammon. A’ja Wilson solidifies herself deep in MVP history as a 2x MVP and now WNBA Champ.
— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) September 18, 2022
When it sinks in that you’re a WNBA Champ: pic.twitter.com/y1BDhz2HGY
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) September 18, 2022
Becky Hammon proves NBA doubters wrong by winning chip in first season
Leading her team with “TRUST”, Aces head coach Becky Hammon deserves to be commended and celebrated for what she accomplished as a first-year WNBA head coach in Las Vegas.
Becky Hammon has led the Aces to a title in her first season as head coach 🏆 pic.twitter.com/F08hsNLxv4
— FanSided (@FanSided) September 18, 2022
Becky Hammon let 'em hear it 👏
— ESPN (@espn) September 18, 2022
🔴 First year as head coach
🔴 No. 1 Seed
🔴 Coach of the Year
🔴 WNBA Champs @espnW | @BeckyHammon pic.twitter.com/UA2QlU0bSG
The highest-paid coach in WNBA history.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 18, 2022
Commissioner's Cup Champion.
Coach of the Year.
No. 1 seed.
Becky Hammon just led the Las Vegas Aces to their first-ever WNBA Championship in her debut season 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qfQiJvGRvB
Becky Hammon just added a WNBA title to a rookie season that already included being Coach of the Year: pic.twitter.com/7xFsB7GGZl
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) September 18, 2022
Congrats to the @LVAces @BeckyHammon on winning the @wnba championship! Job well done!
— Swin Cash (@SwinCash) September 18, 2022
This all comes after reports that the NBA wanted Becky Hammon to “wait her turn” to coach in the league, after she spent years coaching with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and her own playing career in the WNBA.
The NBA: Becky, just wait a little while. We'll get to you.
— Lyndsey D'Arcangelo 🏀 (@darcangel21) September 14, 2022
Becky: Naahhhhh, I'm good. pic.twitter.com/piNzkkyzQW
Unintentionally, Hammon’s face captures it perfectly. For every NBA team who passed on her expertise, may they revel in her immediate success with the Aces.