A’ja Wilson took home her first Finals MVP trophy as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 at the Barclays Center to win their second WNBA Championship in two years.
Wilson scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in 39 minutes, along with a defensive stop in the closing seconds, for her third double-double performance and her second 20-point game in the Finals.
2023 WNBA Champion x Finals MVP, A’ja Wilson ????@_ajawilson22 | @LVAces | #WNBAChamps pic.twitter.com/x5zF2U1JCl
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023
“This is what it’s all about,” the 2023 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year said. “To be sketched in history with other teams.
“We never gave up and this is a moment we need to celebrate; this is a moment that not a lot of people get a chance to do it.
“For us to do it and to do it shorthanded it just makes the win all the more amazing, that much better.
“At the end of the day it’s huge, it’s hard getting back to the finals but to win it again I’m 10x grateful. I’m going to go to battle with these wounded warriors every day,” Wilson concluded.
The Aces made history by becoming just the third team in WNBA history to win back-to-back titles and the first team to do so in 21 years since the Los Angeles Sparks repeated as champions in 2001 and 2002.
The Aces, who were without last season Finals MVP and point guard Chelsea Gray and center Kiah Stokes due to injuries, grafted all through the game and came back from a nine-point deficit at halftime.
Back-to-back CHAMPS ????
The @LVAces defeat the Liberty 3-1 to win their second straight title, becoming the first team to win consecutive championships since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-2002#MoreThanGame | WNBA Finals @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/WQ3anPdtSG
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023
Australia’s Cayla George, who started in place of Stokes, scored 11 points in 30 minutes, while Jackie Young finished the tie strong with 16 points and seven assists, along with Alysha Clark’s 10 points and 8 rebounds in 37 minutes.
New York had four starters in double figures, with reigning regular season MVP Breanna Stewart ending the game with a 14-rebound and 10-point double-double. Courtney Vandersloot impressed once more with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Betnijah Laney finished with 15 points, and Sabrina Ionescu added 13 points in 13 minutes.
