Las Vegas sweeps Phoenix to bag the 2025 WNBA championship title

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Three titles in four years? Now that’s a dynasty solidified.

In a hostile road environment at the Mortgage Matchup Center, the Las Vegas Aces simply focused on the task at hand, brought out the brooms, and completed a dominant 4-0 series sweep capped by a 97-86 Game 4 victory over the Phoenix Mercury to claim this year’s WNBA trophy on Oct. 11, 2025.

With the lopsided series win, Las Vegas successfully completed a trifecta of championship titles in four years, as they previously stood atop the podium during the 2022 and 2023 WNBA seasons.

Before Game 4 started, the Aces had two options: the first was to let their guard down to come back home for a Game 5, and the latter was to tighten the screws and handle business in front of a raucous Phoenix crowd at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

As soon as the pregame warmup kicked off, the Aces ditched the first option and smelled blood when the leather rose midair for the jump-ball toss.

They were on a mission.

No matter how loud the Phoenix crowd booed the Aces, everyone wearing the black-and-white threads played flawlessly, which put Las Vegas in an early commanding position.

After the first 10 minutes of action, the Aces quickly jumped to the driver’s seat with a nine-point advantage, 30-21, and dropped the early hammer when they ballooned their biggest lead of the game to 20 points midway through the second frame.

The first half sucked the life out of the struggling Phoenix squad, who could only scratch their heads watching A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray pick them apart on both ends of the floor.

When Las Vegas struggled from the outside at one point in the third, the adjustment was simple: feed Wilson at the post and get out of the way.

As Mercury threw soft double-teams on Wilson in trying to limit her offensive touches at the left block, Young, Gray, and Jewell Lloyd took over in their sweet spots at the 3-point line and the perimeter.

As they say, you have to pick your poison.

In the case of the Aces, Phoenix didn’t need to, because they didn’t have the antidote to stop the surging and hungry squad.

Phoenix tried to keep its spirits up after guard Kahleah Copper caught fire in the final frame and trimmed Las Vegas’ lead to a single digit, but the absence of star forward Satou Sabally, who suffered a concussion in Game 3, became a huge hole as the Aces recovered in the final five minutes with easy twos underneath.

Mercury gave their all, with Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner delivering when their team needed them most, but the better team won the series.

Wilson wrapped up the final game of the championship with another masterclass, tallying 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals.

Her stellar and consistent outing in the four-game sweep earned her the 2025 Finals Most Valuable Player award, putting a fitting end to her majestic season, where she also copped the season MVP honors.

Backstopping Wilson was the ever-reliable backcourt trio of Gray, Young, and Lloyd, who chipped in 18, 18, and 12 markers, respectively.

“I think encouragement is one of the best things you can possibly give to another person, to give another person courage,” said Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon.

“Maybe when their knees are shaking a little bit or there’s a little bit of doubt or unbelief, you just dig in and you find ways to bring out greatness in each other. And you do that by giving.”