| 2022 Las Vegas Aces season | |
|---|---|
WNBA champions | |
| Coach | Becky Hammon |
| Arena | Michelob Ultra Arena |
| Attendance | 5,607 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 26–10 (.722) |
| Place | 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | WNBA Champions (Defeated Connecticut Sun 3–1 in WNBA Finals) |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Kelsey Plum – 20.2 ppg |
| Rebounds | A'ja Wilson – 9.4 rpg |
| Assists | Chelsea Gray – 6.1 apg |
The 2022 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 5th year the franchise is based in Las Vegas after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. The regular season began on May 6, 2022, at the Phoenix Mercury.[1]
On December 31, 2021, the Aces named former WNBA great and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon as their new head coach.[2]
The Aces started the season under Hammon in strong fashion, winning their first two games before losing a game. The team then went on a seven game winning streak to end May 9–1. The winning streak ended on the first of June, but the Aces then won their next four straight games. The end of June was not as kind to the team, as they lost three of their last four games, to finish the month 5–4. July got off to a rocky start, with the team losing two of its first three games, but then they won three of their next four before finishing the month on a four game winning streak. The winning streak would be five including the Commissioner's Cup Final. The Aces beat the Chicago Sky 93–83 to win their first Commissioner's Cup. Excluding that cup, the team finished July 8–3, and secured a berth into the 2022 WNBA Playoffs on July 24. They started the final month of the season on a two game losing streak, but won their last four games to finish the month 4–2 and secure the first seed in the playoffs. Their win in the penultimate game of the season gave them the better head-to-head record with Chicago and secured the tiebreaker for the top seed. Their final record of 26–10 in the regular season, was the highest win total in franchise history and their winning percentage of .722 was the second highest.
As the first seed in the playoffs, they had home court advantage against the eight seed Phoenix Mercury in the first round. The Aces won the first game 79–63 and cruise to a game two victory 117–80 to win the series two games to zero. In the second round they faced off against the fourth seeded Seattle Storm. Las Vegas lost the first game at home 73–76. However, they won game two 78–73 to send the series to Seattle tied. The Aces prevailed in over time in game three of the series and also won game four in Seattle to take the series three games to one. The Aces would again have home court advantage in the WNBA Finals where they matched up against the third seed Connecticut Sun. Las Vegas won the first two games at home 67–64 and 85–71 respectively. The Aces lost game three in Connecticut 76–105. However, they came back and won game four to win the series three games to one and finish as WNBA Champions. This was the first championship in franchise history. This also marked the first time a team won both the WNBA Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA Finals.
During the postseason, A'ja Wilson was named MVP, Jackie Young won Most Improved Player, Chelsea Gray was Finals MVP, and Coach Becky Hammon was named Coach of the Year in her first season.