MVP A’ja Wilson scores 31 as Aces beat Mercury for third WNBA title

League Most Valuable Player (MVP) A’ja Wilson scored 31 points and grabbed 9 rebounds arsenic the Las Vegas Aces bushed the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 successful Game 4 to expanse the WNBA Finals and triumph their 3rd rubric successful 4 seasons.

Four-time league MVP Wilson made 17 of 19 escaped throws portion grabbing her 2nd Finals MVP honour connected Friday.

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She won her archetypal successful 2023, the 2nd of the Aces’ 2 consecutive titles. Only the Houston Comets, who won the archetypal 4 league titles (1997-2000), person had a amended run.

Jackie Young contributed 18 points and 8 assists, Chelsea Gray besides had 18 points, Jewell Loyd enactment up 12 points, and Dana Evans chipped successful with 10 for the Aces, who made 12 3-pointers and committed lone 7 turnovers.

Mercury defender Kahleah Copper had a vocation playoff-high 30 points earlier fouling retired successful the last minutes. Alyssa Thomas had her 10th triple-double of the year, her 2nd successful the postseason, but Phoenix could not flooded the nonaccomplishment of starring scorer Satou Sabally.

Sabally, averaging 19 points a crippled successful the postseason, missed the crippled aft being diagnosed with a concussion erstwhile she collided with the Aces’ Kierstan Bell precocious successful the Mercury’s 90-88 nonaccomplishment successful Game 3 connected Wednesday.

Thomas registered 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. DeWanna Bonner, who started successful spot of Sabally, logged 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Mercury committed 18 turnovers that led to 26 Las Vegas points.

A’ja Wilson lifts the title trophy aft winning Game Four of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs finals [Chris Coduto/Getty Images via AFP]

Wilson ‘alone connected Everest’

Wilson averaged 28.5 points and 11.8 rebounds successful the series, finishing 1 rebound abbreviated of her 4th consecutive double-double. She had 30 points successful 4 of her past six playoff games.

At the postgame media conference, Wilson celebrated with aquamarine goggles, a pinkish tambourine, a achromatic 2025 WNBA title towel, and a tiny small burp.

“I’m a Southern girl, and successful the Baptist church,” Wilson said, shaking the tambourine, “you knew the connection was powerful. The connection was almighty for america today.”

Wilson was a immense crushed wherefore the Aces were champions again aft falling successful the semifinals past season. She became the archetypal subordinate to triumph the regular-season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP successful the aforesaid season. The 29-year-old guardant was the champion subordinate connected the tribunal and is already successful the speech for the top successful league history.

“You person your Mount Rushmore, she’s unsocial connected Everest,” Hammon said. “There’s nary 1 around.”

3x WNBA Champion x Finals MVP, A'ja Wilson 🏆@LVAces | #WNBAChamps pic.twitter.com/chdArdRaGo

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 11, 2025

WNBA dynasty

The Aces finished with 25 wins successful their last 28 games.

And portion LA manager Becky Hammon did not telephone her Aces squad a dynasty, she came close.

“These ladies are astatine the apical of the game, and it is the champion hoops that the WNBA has ever seen, from apical to bottom,” Hammon said.

“These players are bigger, stronger, faster and much skilled than [the league] was 10 years ago,” Hammon said. “The accomplishment set, the level these guys are at, is not comparable.”

Aces defender Chelsea Gray was much direct. A dynasty?

“Yes,” she said. “Yes.”

“This 1 hits antithetic due to the fact that it was different,” said Hammon, who is 10-2 successful the WNBA Finals. “There was a batch much adversity than immoderate of america anticipated. At the extremity of the time we’re each humans. We wanted to get it close and get it close together.”

The Aces won 7 of the 8 games played against the Mercury this season, including each 4 successful Phoenix. Wilson did not play successful the lone match-up that the Aces lost, a 76-70 decision successful Las Vegas connected June 15 .

“We ran into a truly bully team, right?” Phoenix manager Nate Tibbetts said. “We ran into a squad that has been done it together. We ran into a squad that had the eventual content and spot that they could get it done. I emotion what we person started to physique here.”

Whether Las Vegas tin support their tally going depends a batch connected however negotiations for a caller corporate bargaining statement go. Most of the Aces, similar a bulk of players successful the league, are escaped agents. The squad could look precise antithetic adjacent play if players determine to spell elsewhere.

If Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd determine to stay, the Aces could support this tally going for a while. With a 4th title, Las Vegas would lucifer Houston, Seattle and Minnesota for the astir successful league history.

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 🏆🏆🏆

The Las Vegas Aces are the 2025 @WNBA Champions!#RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/ft5N01nJK0

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) October 11, 2025