Winning in the WNBA used to be about flashes of brilliance, a lucky draft pick, or a hot streak in the playoffs. Then the Las Vegas Aces team showed up and basically flipped the table on how a professional women’s basketball franchise should operate. They aren't just winning games; they’re building a blueprint that the rest of the league is now frantically trying to copy.
If you walk into Michelob ULTRA Arena—affectionately known as "The House"—the energy is different. It’s loud. It’s expensive. It’s unapologetic. Mark Davis bought this team in 2021 and decided that "good enough" was an insult. He hired Becky Hammon, built a multi-million dollar practice facility, and told the players they were the stars they already knew they were.
The results? Back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. A 2024 season that, while it didn't end in a three-peat, proved that even when they’re "down," they are still the most terrifying matchup on any given Tuesday night.
The Core Four and the Chemistry Myth
People love to talk about "chemistry" like it’s some magical dust you sprinkle on a locker room. Honestly, with the Las Vegas Aces team, it’s less about magic and more about a decade of shared history. You’ve got A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. That is four Olympians. Four number-one overall picks (if you count Chelsea’s "Point Gawd" status as effectively being top-tier).
A’ja Wilson is the sun. Everything orbits her. In 2024, she put up a season that looked like a video game glitch, becoming the first player to ever reach 1,000 points in a single season. She’s the unanimous MVP for a reason. But what people miss is how Jackie Young has quietly evolved from a "slasher" into one of the most lethal three-point shooters in the world. Or how Kelsey Plum’s chaotic energy actually spaces the floor because defenders are terrified to leave her for even a millisecond.
Chelsea Gray is the glue. When she was hurt during the start of the 2024 season, you could see the gears grinding. The pace was off. The passes were a fraction of a second late. Once she returned, the rhythm came back. It’s not just talent; it’s the fact that they’ve played enough minutes together to know exactly where a teammate’s hand will be before she even moves it.
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The Becky Hammon Factor
Becky Hammon didn't come to Vegas to be a "female coach." She came to be a winner. After years under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, she brought a fast-paced, "positionless" offense that broke the WNBA.
Before Hammon, many teams played a traditional, slow-it-down style. The Aces? They run. They hunt early threes. They use A’ja as a decoy to open up lanes for Jackie Young. It’s a professional, NBA-style system that relies on high basketball IQ rather than just set plays.
There was a lot of noise when she took the job. People wondered if she’d regret leaving the NBA path. Looking at her trophy case now, that conversation seems pretty silly. She demands accountability. If Kelsey Plum takes a bad shot, Hammon is in her ear. If the defense sags, the whole team hears it. That level of standard is what keeps them from falling into the "championship hangover" trap that eats other teams alive.
The Practice Facility and the Arms Race
In 2023, the Aces opened a 64,000-square-foot practice facility in Henderson. It’s the first of its kind—built specifically for a WNBA team. It has hot and cold tubs, a nutrition center, a film room that looks like a NASA command center, and a player lounge that’s nicer than most five-star hotels.
Why does this matter for SEO or for fans? Because it changed the business of the league.
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- Free agents now look at the Aces and say, "I want that."
- Recovery times are faster because the equipment is on-site.
- The "professionalism gap" between the Aces and some of the older, legacy franchises became a canyon.
When the Seattle Storm or the Phoenix Mercury started upgrading their facilities, they were chasing the Las Vegas Aces team. Mark Davis realized that if you treat athletes like superstars, they perform like superstars. It sounds simple, but for twenty years, the WNBA didn't always operate that way.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2024 Season
The narrative after the 2024 semi-final loss to the New York Liberty was that the "dynasty is over." That’s a bit dramatic.
The Liberty were a team built specifically to kill the Aces. They added Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart to match the Vegas star power. It took a "superteam" to beat the original superteam. Even then, the series was closer than the 3-1 margin suggested.
The Aces dealt with a massive "Olympic fatigue" factor. Remember, almost their entire starting lineup spent their "break" in Paris winning gold medals. By the time the playoffs rolled around, the legs weren't quite there. Expecting them to just disappear from the title conversation in 2025 is a mistake.
The Bench Problem
One legitimate critique of the Las Vegas Aces team has been their depth. They rely so heavily on the starters that the bench sometimes feels like an afterthought. In 2024, Tiffany Hayes came out of retirement and basically saved their second unit. She won Sixth Player of the Year, and without her, the Aces might not have even made a deep run.
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Moving forward, the front office has to figure out how to get younger and deeper. Alysha Clark is a defensive genius and a veteran leader, but she can't play 30 minutes a night forever. The league is getting more athletic. The expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries also looms large—losing a key rotational piece is almost inevitable.
The Impact of the Las Vegas Market
Vegas is a basketball town now. The Aces were here before the Raiders, and they have a massive head start on the fan base. Sellouts are the norm, not the exception.
The celebrity row at Aces games is a who’s who of sports and entertainment. You’ll see LeBron James, Tom Brady (who is a minority owner), and Usher sitting courtside. This visibility does something for the players' brands that you just can't get in every market. A’ja Wilson has a signature shoe with Nike now. That doesn't happen without the platform the Aces have built in the desert.
Practical Steps for Following the Aces
If you're looking to jump on the bandwagon or just want to stay informed, don't just check the box scores. The WNBA is a league of momentum.
- Watch the "Point Gawd": Follow Chelsea Gray’s assist-to-turnover ratio. When it’s high, the Aces are unbeatable.
- Check the Injury Reports: This team plays "short." One injury to a starter changes their entire win probability because the drop-off to the bench is steeper than it is for teams like the Liberty or the Lynx.
- The A'ja Wilson Rule: If she scores 25+, they usually win. If a team manages to hold her under 18, it means they’ve successfully clogged the paint, and the Aces are struggling to adapt.
- Monitor the Salary Cap: With the new CBA negotiations coming up, keeping four max-level players together is going to be a huge administrative headache for the front office.
The Las Vegas Aces team represents the modern WNBA: loud, talented, and unapologetically commercial. They aren't going anywhere. Even if they aren't holding the trophy every single year, they are the standard that every other franchise is measured against. If you aren't paying attention to how they re-tool in the offseason, you’re missing the most interesting front-office drama in women’s sports.
Watch the draft moves. Keep an eye on free agency. Most importantly, don't bet against A’ja Wilson. It usually ends poorly for whoever does.
Stay updated on the league's official transaction wire and watch the 2025 schedule releases early. Tickets for "The House" sell out months in advance now, so if you plan on seeing them live, you have to move fast once the schedule drops in the winter. For those looking for deeper tactical analysis, follow independent WNBA scouts on social platforms who break down Hammon's offensive sets; the complexity is where the real beauty of this team lies.