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22 – A’ja Wilson
6-4 center, South Carolina
By the numbers: 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks per game
The best women’s basketball player in the world added to her trophy case once again this season.
Wilson, who won her second straight scoring title this season, became the first player in WNBA history to be named MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and lead the league in scoring in a season.
Though she averaged 3.5 points fewer than her MVP campaign last season, Wilson shot over 50 percent for the fourth straight season, shot a career-best 42.4 percent from 3-point range and 85.5 percent from the foul line on 7.3 free throw attempts per game, her most since her rookie year in 2018.
The postseason was also Wilson’s best. She averaged 26.8 points and 10 rebounds and capped it off with her first two 30-point finals games in the four-game sweep of the Mercury.
Worth noting: Wilson set a WNBA record with 13 30-point games this season. One of those came on Aug. 10 when she had the first ever 30-point, 20-rebound double-double in league history in a 94-86 win over the Connecticut Sun.
0 – Jackie Young
6-0 guard, Notre Dame
By the numbers: 16.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game
One reason why the Aces steamrolled their way to the WNBA title in 2023 was because Young took another step in her development.
Her improvements in 2025 are another reason why the Aces won this year.
Young shot 47.4 percent from the floor — a 4 percent increase from 2024 — and shot 2 percent better from 3-point range (35.7) than the year prior. Her 16.5 points per game were the second most in her career.
But her playoff run was her best yet. She averaged 20.4 points on 49 percent shooting despite shooting 31 percent from deep.
Worth noting: The playoffs also showed Young can show up in the clutch. She had the game-winning putback in the deciding Game 3 against the Seattle Storm in the first round, then had 32 points and 10 assists while playing 43:35 (of 45 minutes) in the Game 5 overtime win in the semifinals against the Indiana Fever.
12 – Chelsea Gray
5-11 guard, Duke
By the numbers: 11.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds per game
Shot attempts per game were in the single digits for the second year in a row, but the 2022 Finals MVP still left her fingerprints throughout this run.
Gray averaged a playoff career-high 7.3 assists while chipping in with 11.2 points in 35 minutes. She opened the finals with consecutive 10-assist games, then had 18 points in the clinching Game 4 while making four 3-pointers.
The 33-year-old is now a four-time champion, the most among active players, and ties her for second most all time. Only Rebekkah Brunson (five) has won more in league history.
Worth noting: Gray took pride in her defense this season and it showed in the playoffs. She had a steal in all but one game and nine games with multiple steals. She had a block in the last five playoff games, including three blocks each in Games 2 and 3 against Phoenix.
24 – Jewell Loyd
5-11 guard, Notre Dame
By the numbers: 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds per game, 38.0 3-point pct.
It wasn’t the kind of year fans are accustomed to with Loyd, the centerpiece in the blockbuster three-team trade that sent Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
It counted when it mattered. Loyd shot 41 percent from deep in the playoffs and scored three times in double figures during the finals.
Loyd’s biggest contribution was choosing to come off the bench midway through the season when the Aces were in need of a spark. The Aces won 18 of their 19 games with Loyd being their Sixth Player.
Worth noting: Loyd has been to the WNBA Finals three times. She’s 10-0 now. Her most memorable performance came in Game 3 in the first quarter when she made four straight 3s during a 17-0 run.
3 – NaLyssa Smith
6-4 center, Baylor
By the numbers: 7.6 points, 5.1 rebounds per game
The Aces’ key addition at the trade deadline didn’t move the needle in numbers, but Smith was a worthy complement in the frontcourt playing alongside A’ja Wilson.
Smith, the No. 2 pick from the 2022 draft, was acquired from the Dallas Wings for a 2027 first-round pick. She was averaging career lows with the Wings at the time of the trade.
Smith started in all but one game in her time in Las Vegas, but she found new life with the Aces. Smith shot 58 percent from the floor in the playoffs in 23 minutes.
Worth noting: Smith appeared in only one playoff game before being the Aces’ starting center. She paced the Aces with 18 points in Game 2 against Indiana, then followed with 16 points and four blocks in Game 3.
11 – Dana Evans
5-6 guard, Louisville
By the numbers: 6.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game
The spark that Evans provided off the bench wasn’t just due to timely scoring.
Evans became an emotional leader on the court, willing to get in the faces of the opponent and fire up her teammates. She was seen getting in the face of Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner on more than one occasion.
Evans set a WNBA record with five 3s off the bench in Game 1, scoring 21 points in the 89-86 victory. A’ja Wilson called Evans “our battery,” and she was that at multiple times throughout the playoffs.
Worth noting: Evans said when she was traded from the Chicago Sky in February that the team didn’t care for her score-first mentality because of her height. Evans proved that didn’t matter when the Aces needed her.
1 – Kierstan Bell
6-1 guard, Florida Gulf Coast
By the numbers: 4.2 points, 1.8 rebounds per game
Bell has known nothing but success, as well as the Aces’ culture, since she was drafted by the team in 2022.
She’s experienced nothing but winning since she entered the league. Bell has been trusted with different roles throughout her tenure. This year, she had to be a 3-and-D player that started games and be the first to check out for Jewell Loyd.
Bell played a career-high 12 minutes and has helped in bringing the good vibes and laughs to the Aces’ locker room.
Worth noting: Loyd’s move to the bench paved the way for Bell to start 16 times in the regular season and all 12 playoff games. Bell’s patience, and her willingness to take on any role in front of her, has paid off.
41 – Kiah Stokes
6-3 center, Connecticut
By the numbers: 1.1 points, 3.6 rebounds per game
No one had to make a bigger adjustment to their role than Stokes.
The nine-year center was vital in the Aces’ championship run in 2023 and has started 69 games the past three years.
But her minutes dropped to 12.9 this year and she was rarely seen on the floor after the Aces acquired Na’Lyssa Smith. Despite that, her teammates and coach Becky Hammon praised her for her willingness to help her teammates and be an extra voice on the bench.
Stokes hasn’t seen a lot of playing time, and her role may be like this going forward, but the Aces value her as a veteran presence and a reliable voice in the locker room.
Worth noting: Stokes played a total of 11:30 in nine playoff games, but her 13 seconds to end Game 1 against Phoenix will be remembered. Stokes came off the bench to play strong defense on Phoenix guard Kahleah Copper to get the ball out of her hands for the final shot.
17 – Megan Gustafson
6-4 forward, Iowa
By the numbers: 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game
Gustafson has made her calling as a stretch-5 that can draw the defense away from the basket. In her limited role, she was able to do that.
Gustafson suffered a severe left leg injury before the season that sidelined her for the first half of the season. She averaged 11 minutes a night in the regular season before just 10 in the playoffs.
She was trusted when Na’Lyssa Smith got into foul trouble and had the tough task of alleviating defensive pressure from A’ja Wilson. Gustafson had a role and stuck to it.
Worth noting: Gustafson struggled defensively at times in Game 3 against Phoenix, but she made the biggest stop on Alyssa Thomas that would’ve given the Mercury the lead. On the next possession, A’ja Wilson hit the game winner with 0.3 seconds left.
32 – Cheyenne Parker-Tyus
6-4 forward, Middle Tennessee
By the numbers: 8 points, 1 rebound per game
The Aces signed Parker-Tyus with the understanding that she wouldn’t be available for most of the season, as she was pregnant with her second child.
Becky Hammon didn’t rush her back. Parker-Tyus eased her way back to where she was able to play two games in the regular season and six more in the playoffs.
Parker-Tyus would like the chance to return and be a role player for the defending champions.
Worth mentioning: The one-time All Star played in two games when the scoring was out of hand, but she scored eight points in each contest.
13 – Aaliyah Nye
6-0 guard, Alabama
By the numbers: 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds per game
Nye, the Aces’ second-round pick last year, appeared in all 44 regular-season games.
The 23-year-old isn’t afraid to shoot. She averaged nearly three 3-point attempts in 15 minutes a night. If she has a role moving forward, it could be in a spot-up capacity.
Worth mentioning: Nye hit double figures in scoring six times. She scored a career-high 16 points and hit five 3s on June 29 in an 84-81 win in Phoenix.
Danny Webster Las Vegas Review-Journal
