LAS VEGAS — There was Kelsey PlumNevada Governor, a barking match for the 2022 All-Star Game MVP. Steve Sisolak getting busy with DMX. There was Chelsea GrayThe 2022 Finals MVP is trying to get AcesRaiders owner Mark Davis wanted to make the move to E-40. There was! A’ja WilsonThe 2022 Defensive Player and MVP, Jeremy Grass, holds the 2022 WNBAFinals trophy and strutting for Travis Porter
Alongside their teammates, coaches and front office executives, they were gathered on a 4-foot platform across from the Bellagio Fountain with red-and-black “2022 World Champions” banners and a projector screen donning the same image on either side and a “History Made” banner draped over the top, turning it into a concert stage. Although the upper-ups were quite calm, the players were given a selection of songs and then let loose for a few thousand.
The greatest player alive👀 pic.twitter.com/owawrfR12k
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 21, 2022
Prior to the season, Aces president Nikki Fargas made it clear what her goal was for the franchise. “I’m trying to shut down The Strip.”The Aces won the final match. SunFargas received her 3-1 win in the series Sunday with a championship parade, which spanned from Caesars Palace up to the fountain.
“I can’t thank y’all enough for how much y’all rallied behind myself and my teammates,” Wilson said. “We did this one for y’all.”
Vegas residents turned out in strong numbers to celebrate the city’s first major professional sports championship. Gov. Sisolak, who was present, dubbed it Las Vegas Aces Day. The Aces were there along with the Raiders & Golden Knights. The city has been transformed into a growing sports market.. And in terms of competitive results and community support, they’re leading the way in proving Vegas can be a sustainable home for franchises.
The champs are here 🏆
🎥 @TashanReed | #WNBAChampions pic.twitter.com/gmBx2uKZr2
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) September 21, 2022
“To the greatest fans in professional sports: Las Vegas, we are world champions,” Davis said to the crowd. “It wasn’t an overnight journey. This franchise and the WNBA have been around 26 years. But, over the years, we’ve had alumni, fans, staff, coaches that helped to build this organization to where it is today, and I want to thank every one of them because you’re a part of this.”
Twenty-two month ago, the Aces had barely been a month since their humiliating loss at the hands of the StormIn the 2020 WNBA finals. Wilson and Davis met at SoFi Stadium on November 11. They were there to watch Davis’ Raiders play the Chargers, but their conversation was focused on women’s basketball. “He was trying to pick my brain on the sport,” Wilson said earlier this month. She didn’t know it for sure then, but Davis was preparing to buy the Aces, which he did in January 2021. Once it was official, Wilson pushed him to stick to the desire he expressed to help the Aces — and WNBA as a whole — continue to grow.
Davis announced plans to build a facility measuring 50,000 square feet for the Aces in Henderson, Nev. in 2023, one month later. Fargas was his first hire that summer. After Bill Laimbeer left coaching in order to become an advisor after the 2021 season, Becky Hammon was hired as head coach in December. Natalie Williams was appointed general manager in April. Davis pledged to give the Aces all the support they need to win the championship, which had been elusive for them over their 26-year existence.
“I can’t even tell you how special this is,” said Williams, who played for the Aces when they were the Utah Starzz from 1999 to 2002. “This is what it’s all about. This is what it’s meant to be.”
Before the 2021 front-office reshuffle, Aces were considered contenders. However, the Aces were still able to surpass the rest thanks to their hierarchical commitment.
“To be able to have an owner like Mark Davis who believed in women and advancing women in sports, this is what happens: World champions!” Fargas said Tuesday. “Make no mistake about it: This does not happen by chance. This was planned. And when we were able to go and hire Becky Hammon, what did you expect?”
When Hammon came to the podium, she revealed that her hire almost didn’t happen. She was also considering a coaching offer. Liberty last December — she played for them from 1999 to 2006 — and had gone dark on Davis and the Aces for two weeks when she got a call from her agent.
“My agent asked me, ‘What are you thinking? What are you thinking?’” Hammon said Tuesday. “I said, ‘My gut says Vegas.’”
Becky Hammon is the star of the show pic.twitter.com/cNlX0KNsT7
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 21, 2022
Hammon accepted Davis’ offer, which made her the first coach in WNBA history to make a salary of $1 million, and she went on to become The first WNBA coach to win a championship was the first in WNBA historyIn her first year. She saw the potential for impact beyond her own achievements.
“There’s a lot of people that say the right thing but don’t do the right thing; this guy puts his money where his mouth is,” Hammon said. “I’m super blessed to be here. I thank y’all for showing up. Because representation and showing up matters. It matters.”
Hammon’s moment was perhaps the most serious. There was plenty of laughter, jokes, and fun on stage. But the Aces weren’t kidding about one thing: They’re not done yet.
“I wanna let you guys know that this is just the beginning,” said Plum, making sure to enunciate every word. “We just getting started. … We got a lot of bad b—— on this stage. I just wanna let you know: Every time I step on the court, I’m gonna be a dog for every single one of y’all. And we gonna do this every f—— year.”
Kelsey Plum is a litte! pic.twitter.com/h5eHak4ZeN
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 21, 2022
They are indeed primed to bring it back. Wilson and Game 4 star Riquna Williams will be signed through the next season. Plum, Gray, and 2022 Most Improved Player Award Winner Jackie YoungThrough 2024, they are still under contract. Dearica HambyVegas has the opportunity to sign a former Sixth Woman of the Year recipient, who is now an unrestricted, free agent. The organization is willing to do whatever it takes.
“And you know what the saying is in Vegas: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” Williams said. “We want to keep this championship here in Vegas!”
The Aces are blessed with youth, not only do they have a core of players under contract. Wilson will turn 26 next season. Young will be 25. Plum will be 28, and Hamby 28. Gray will turn 30 while Williams will be 32. However, both players proved they could still contribute at a high standard through the playoffs.
Every champion dreams of repeating, but the Aces are actually equipped to achieve it. Hammon honed her coaching skills with Gregg Popovich over a long period. NBA assistant with the San Antonio Spurs and has learned what it takes to push a group that’s already won it all to do it again. And she is prepared for the challenge.
“We not done up in this thang, ya feel me? We still going,” Gray said. “That’s one. I’ll see y’all next parade.”
(Photo of A’ja Wilson: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
