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South Carolina women's basketball: A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates are WNBA Champions

On3 imageby:Chris Wellbaum•10/18/23•

ChrisWellbaum

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A'ja Wilson celebrates the Aces' championship (Photo by Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)

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The Las Vegas Aces beat the New York Liberty 3-1 in the WNBA Finals, becoming the first team in over 20 years to repeat as champions. A’ja Wilson turned in a transcendent performance during the Aces’ championship run, cementing her status as the best women’s basketball player in the world. 

Despite being down three starters from a seven-player rotation, The Aces beat the Liberty 70-69 to clinch the championship. Wilson led all players with 26 points and 16 rebounds, including the Aces’ final basket.

Wilson won her second league MVP last season on the way to the Aces’ first title. Despite improving her statistics in almost every category and being the best player on the team that set a league record for wins and had the best offense and defense in the league, Wilson was snubbed in the voting this season and finished third, with one voter even putting Wilson fourth.

Wilson turned the snub into motivation and went on one of the most dominant playoff runs in WNBA history. Las Vegas lost just one game in the playoffs and Wilson averaged 24.0 points and 11.8 rebounds and became the first player to finish with more than 30 points and 10 rebounds in three straight games. In the Finals Wilson and her teammates (especially Alysha Clark) demolished Breanna Stewart, who won the MVP, helping hold Stewart to just 16.3 points in the series.

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Finals MVP was arguably the only thing missing from Wilson’s trophy case. At 27, she has NCAA and WNBA championships, a gold medal, college player of the year, Final Four MOP, WNBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and now Finals MVP. She is the youngest player ever with two MVPs, two DPOYs, and a Finals MVP, and one of just seven players ever.

Alaina Coates won her first championship. She was a reserve who seldom played except for the final minutes of blowouts, but it capped a successful return to the league for the former second-overall pick.

Coates signed a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream but was waived before the season started. She played two games for Phoenix under an emergency hardship contract before being waived. Las Vegas signed Coates to an emergency hardship contract in early August, eventually signing her for the remainder of the season.

Coates’ value to the Aces was in practice rather than games, and she can now add a WNBA championship to her NCAA championship.

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