PHOENIX — After the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals, A’ja Wilson came into the postgame press conference with her googles, pink tambourine and her newest piece of hardware — the second WNBA Finals MVP Trophy of her career.
‘I still got a little bit more winning to do before you put me in that (GOAT) conversation,’ said Wilson, who drew comparisons to Michael Jordan after finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in the Aces’ 97-86 Game 4 win over the Mercury. ‘When you’re compared to greats, when you’re compared to legends, that means you’re doing something right and I’m so grateful, but I would never do who I am, who I am without my teammates.’
This marks Wilson and the Aces’ third title in four years. Wilson and her teammates highlight our list of winners from Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. The Mercury and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert round out our losers:
Winners
Aces forward A’ja Wilson’s greatness
A’ja Wilson might have just redefined what it means to be a GOAT. On Friday, she became the first person in WNBA and NBA history to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and a scoring title in a single season. She also joined Bill Russell as the only players in both leagues to win three MVPs and three championships in a four-season span. As Aces head coach Becky Hammon said, Wilson is “Everest. There is no one else around.”
Aces coach Becky Hammon’s finals record
Under Hammon, Las Vegas has cemented itself as one of the premier dynasties of the league, joining the Minnesota Lynx, Houston Comets, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Detroit Shock and Phoenix Mercury as the only teams to win three or more championships. After winning her third title in four seasons, Hammon stands alone with the best record in WNBA Finals history (10-2).
Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd’s ring collection
It’s time we put some respect on Gray’s name. She now has four championship rings with the Aces and the Sparks. The ‘point gawd’ deserves her praise for being part of the Las Vegas dynasty, but also one of the best guards in league history. Speaking of guards, Loyd now has her third ring and her first in the post-Seattle Storm era of her career. After a very tough split from the organization, winning with the Aces has to feel sweet. ‘I was kind of written off and exiled, but I ended up in the promised land,’ Loyd said in her postgame presser. To be clear, that’s the ultimate mic drop moment for the veteran guard.
Mercery forward Alyssa Thomas’ grit
Thomas is often regarded as one of the toughest players in the league. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said it. Her teammates say it. She showed just how tough she is in the third quarter of Game 4. Thomas injured her right shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half after running into a hard screen set by Aces guard Jewell Loyd. Thomas writhed in pain on the court and Mercury staff members had to hold her right arm as she went back to the locker room. But Thomas was back on the court when the third quarter began with her right shoulder heavily tapped. Thomas finished with another triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Mark Davis’s postgame meal
Las Vegas Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis strolled into Las Vegas’ postgame presser, drenched in seemingly something of the alcoholic variety and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. No, that’s not a misprint. Davis really chowed down on a sandwich and then took the podium to answer questions from until his team arrived.
Losers
Anticlimactic best-of-seven WNBA Finals
After the 2024 WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty went to a decisive Game 5, all eyes were on the first best-of-seven Finals in league history. But the minimum number of games were needed to determine a champion in the 2025 WNBA Finals. The Aces swept the Mercury in four games, marking an unceremonious end to the first best-of-seven series.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert booed
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts’ ejection
‘I thought it was bull—-,” Tibbetts said. “I didn’t even know that I got the second one. To be completely honest, I don’t understand it. I feel bad for our team, our fans, my family. It wasn’t needed in my opinion. Now I’d love to hear that, their call. But yeah, we work, we’re playing for our playoff lives. I mean, most coaches, when they get tossed, you’re doing it on purpose. And that was not my intention at all. But there’s been issues with the officiating all year.”
Tibbetts stopped short of repeating what he said, but a postgame pool report revealed that Tibbetts yelled, “That’s f—ing terrible.” crew chief Roy Gulbeyan said, “After the first technical was assessed, coach Tibbetts stepped in closer aggressively to the calling official and again yelled, ‘That’s f—ing terrible.’ At that point, a second technical was assessed, and he was ejected.”
Mercury turnovers
The Mercury committed 18 turnovers in their Game 4 loss, which the Aces converted to 26 points. It continued a troubling trend for Phoenix after having 14 turnovers in Game 1 that led to 20 Aces points.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.