The Las Vegas Aces edged past the New York Liberty 70-69 Wednesday night to win the WNBA Finals in four games. Aces star A’ja Wilson was named Finals MVP after averaging 21 points and 12.5 rebounds over the course of the series.

“This is a moment that we need to celebrate,” Wilson said. “Not a lot of people get a chance to do it, and for us to do it short-handed is truly amazing. It just makes this win that much better. I’m going to get choked up … this s— wasn’t easy.”

The matchup between the Aces and Liberty was one of the most highly anticipated in the history of the WNBA, a series contested between a budding dynasty and the league’s newest super team. The Aces, champions in 2022, were led by Wilson, with Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray playing key roles alongside her. The Liberty made headlines during the offseason when the team assembled a big three of Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot. New York lived up to the hype, breezing through the Eastern Conference on the way to the Finals.

The Liberty fell behind in the best-of-five series 2-0 but won Game 3 to get back into contention. In Game 4, Ionescu was seen throwing up behind the bench but later re-entered the game and went on to score 13 points. As the game came to a close, however, New York had a chance to win and extend the series when Stewart, the league’s MVP, got the ball in the corner just before the buzzer. She did not hit the rim, wrapping up a quiet 10-point night that likely cost the team the game.

“I put the ball in the hands of the MVP because we trust her. And it just didn’t work out today,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game. “It ended up with Breanna at the end, so it was just her trying to make a play from there. So, I [would] still do it again. That’s the right call.”

Because the Aces got to celebrate their win on the Liberty’s home court, Aces guard Plum got the opportunity to embrace her husband, New York Giants star tight end Darren Waller, after the game. Waller is not the Aces’ only connection to the NFL, as Tom Brady was officially named a minority owner in the team earlier this month.

Because both teams are expected to maintain much of their cores going forward, it’s likely that the Aces and Liberty will remain forces in the WNBA for years to come. Both teams boast stars that have come to define the league at an important point in its history. With women’s basketball gaining more attention in recent years and young stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese soon arriving from college, this could be the beginning of a new high-profile era for the sport.

WNBA legend Sue Bird stepped off the court for the final time Tuesday night following the Seattle Storm’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of their playoff semifinal series. Bird’s tenure in Seattle is unrivaled as the greatest career in women’s basketball history, and fans made sure to send her off in raucous fashion as she left the floor of the Climate Pledge Arena for the last time.

> WATCH SUE BIRD’s uSPORTS INTERVIEW!

Despite Breanna Stewart’s 42-point performance, Bird and the Storm were unable to avoid a series sweep against the Aces, who entered the postseason with the best record in the Western Conference. Seattle led 47-44 at the half but played poorly in the third quarter and went on to lose 97-92.

In an interview with ESPN after the game, Bird admitted that she wasn’t satisfied with the result but was instead focusing on appreciating her career as a whole.

“Obviously I am so thankful for 20 years here. I’m going to miss it so much. I’m not going anywhere but I’m going to miss it,” Bird said. “I wish we could have done a little bit more to get to the finals, but I’m so proud of this team this year.”

As the game came to a close, a packed crowd in the Climate Pledge Arena began chanting for Bird and didn’t stop until long after the game ended. In 20 years with the organization, Bird led Seattle to four WNBA championships in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020. She also made 12 All-Star Game appearances and ranks near the top in every significant statistical career category. Her retirement announcement and subsequent farewell processions have drawn adoring comments from local Seattle figures as well as national sports icons like Dwyane Wade.

In addition to looking back on her contributions to the team, Bird also expressed hope in the Storm’s future and gave advice to whoever would go on to replace her.

“I guess I just hope the next person that comes in and plays point guard here, just keep the tradition going. Keep the winning going. Keep that championship level going, keep these fans happy.”

With Bird’s Storm out of the way, the Las Vegas Aces will play the winner of the other semifinal series between the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky. The Aces are currently favored to win the championship.

Becky Hammon is returning to the WNBA, this time as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces. The five-year deal will make her the highest-paid coach in the league.

The move comes as a surprise as Hammon was expected to be up for multiple head coaching vacancies in the NBA. She is currently in her eighth season under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, which is where she became the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history. She was a finalist for the Portland Trailblazers‘ head coaching position last summer, but Chauncey Billups was hired instead.

Hammon was undrafted out of Colorado State in 1999, but soon made a name for herself as a member of the New York Liberty from 1999 to 2006. She then spent eight more seasons with the San Antonio Silver Stars. Hammon will now return to the organization. The Silver Stars moved to Vegas in 2018. During her 16 seasons, she was a six-time WNBA All-Star and helped lead her teams to four WNBA Finals appearances.

When Hammon takes over, likely in April as she will finish out her season with the Spurs, she inherits one of the most talented rosters in the league. 2020 MVP A’ja Wilson is one of the best young players in the league at 25. Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum are both winners of the Sixth Player of the Year, awarded to the best player coming off the bench and former No. 1 pick, Jackie Young is also on the roster. Last season, the team finished first in the west but lost in the Conference Finals to the Phoenix Mercury. While the team has done well, they’ve struggled to score when it mattered most.

During a recent WNBA game, awful, derogatory comments were made towards Aces star Liz Cambage. The head coach of the Connecticut Sun, Curt Miller called her 300 pounds, and for this he has been fined $10,000 and suspended one game. After making these comments, Miller apologized. “During last night’s game, while arguing a call with an official, I made an inappropriate and offensive comment in reference to Liz Cambage’s height and weight,” Miller said. “I regret what I said in the heat of the moment and want to sincerely apologize to Liz and the entire Aces organization. I understand the gravity of my words and have learned from this.”

Cambage didn’t take kindly to the comments nor the apology and in return, posted an Instagram story last Monday claiming that he said something along the lines of “she’s 300 pounds.”

“Something went down in today’s game and I need to speak on it, because if there’s one thing about me is that I will never let a man disrespect me,” Cambage said Sunday night. “So to the coach of Connecticut—I’m sorry, little sir man, I do not know your name. But the next time you try to call out a referee trying to get a call being like, ‘C’mon, she’s 300 pounds,’ I’m going to need you to get it right baby. I’m weighing 235 pounds and I’m very proud of being a big b—-, big body, big Benz, baby. So don’t ever try to disrespect me or another woman in the league. For a coach for another team, to be yelling, like, [that’s] protected abuse,” Cambage said. “Because we can’t do nothing back. It’s just crazy to me.”

Cambage is one of the better centers in the league. She’s a three-time All-Star in five WNBA seasons. She averaged 15.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 2020 as Las Vegas reached the WNBA semifinals.

Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart proposed to her girlfriend, former Phoenix Mercury guard Marta Xargay, at Papago Park in Phoenix on Sunday.

The moment was captured and shared by the Storm on Twitter. “Ring season continues!” the tweet read.

The tweet’s caption is a reference to the team’s recent WNBA Championship victory. Stewart led the team to a WNBA championship win by sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA finals last season. It was Stewart’s second championship, and she was named the WNBA Finals MVP for the second time in her career.

Xargay is a Spanish guard who has played in Europe since 2016. Xargay had spent two seasons playing with the Mercury in 2015-2016 before opting to not return to the WNBA. Since then, she has played in Europe with different teams and has achieved success. Xargay won the Spanish Cup Championship three times with CB Avenida and two Spanish League championships as well. Furthermore, Xargay helped USK Praha win three Czech league championships from 2016-2018.

Stewart’s Storm is scheduled to take on the Mercury in a preseason game on Saturday, a week ahead of their May 15 regular-season tipoff. After three seasons away from the Mercury, Xargay is on the preseason roster for Phoenix. The Spaniard has a chance to make it to the main roster and return to the WNBA again.