2023 Las Vegas Aces season
27th season of the WNBA
The 2023 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 27th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the sixth year the franchise is based in Las Vegas - after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. This was also the second season under head coach Becky Hammon . They were the defending WNBA champions, after defeating the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals .
The Aces largely kept their team intact after their championship season, only trading away Dearica Hamby , but signing former WNBA Champions Candace Parker and Alysha Clark in the offseason. This continuity proved positive in the first month of the season as the Aces went 4–0 in May. Their winning streak continued and went to seven games before they lost their first game of the season on June 8 to the Connecticut Sun . After the loss, they went on another seven game winning streak, and finished June 10–1. The winning streak continued into July, but ended on the third game of the month with a loss to Dallas . After the nine game winning streak, the Aces again won out in the month, finishing on a seven game winning streak, and finishing July with a 10–1 record. They managed to get their winning streak to eleven before losing to the New York Liberty on August 6. Their next loss would again come at the hands of New York, but this time it was in the Commissioner's Cup Final . The Aces defeated New York in the next regular season game, but would then lose to Los Angeles to end a four game regular season winning streak. The Aces won three of their next five games to finish August with an 8–4 record. During the month, they secured their playoff berth on August 2. They entered the final month of the season fighting with New York for the first seed. The Aces won all three games in September to secure the top seed on the last day of the season.
The Aces finished with a 34–6 regular season record, which was a franchise and WNBA record for number of wins.[ 1]
As the first seed, the Aces faced off against the eighth seed Chicago Sky and would host the first two games of the three game series. The Aces didn't lose a quarter in Game One and took the game 87–59. The Aces dominated Game Two in similar fashion, not losing a quarter, and winning the game 92–70 to move on to the Semifinals. In the Semifinals, the Aces faced off against the Dallas Wings. The Aces would host the first two games of the five game series, and game five, if necessary. The Aces dominated Game One, only losing the fourth quarter, but winning the game 97–83. Dallas managed to win two quarters in Game Two, but the Aces won the game 91–84. Game Three, was much closer in Dallas, but the Aces used a strong second half to win the game 64–61 and moved on to the 2023 WNBA Finals .
In the Finals, the Aces faced off against the second seed, New York Liberty. The teams faced each other five times during the regular season, going 2–2 against each other, but the Aces lost the Commissioner's Cup. The Aces used a strong second half to win Game One 99–82. In Game Two, they dominated the first quarter, and again dominated the second half to win 104–76. The Aces only needed to win one of the last three games to retain their title. The Liberty clawed one game back in New York, winning Game Three 87–73. In Game Four, the Aces, as they often had in the playoffs, had a strong second half, and won the game 70–69. The Aces became the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002 to win back to back WNBA Championships, taking the Finals three games to one.
Transactions
WNBA draft
Round
Pick
Player
Nationality
School/Team/Country
3
36
Brittney Davis
United States
Alabama
Transactions
Date
Details
January 21, 2023
Traded Dearica Hamby and a 2024 First-Round Pick to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the negotiating rights to Amanda Zahui B and a 2024 Second-Round Pick[ 2]
February 1, 2023
Signed Candace Parker to a 1-Year Deal[ 3]
Signed Alysha Clark to a 2-Year Deal[ 4]
Signed Cayla George to a 1-Year Deal[ 5]
Signed Alexis Peterson and Courtney Range to Training Camp Contracts[ 6]
February 5, 2023
Traded the negotiating rights to Amanda Zahui B to the Washington Mystics for 2024 and 2025 Second-Round Picks[ 7]
February 6, 2023
Waived Iliana Rupert [ 8]
Signed Sydney Colson to a Training Camp Contract[ 9]
February 7. 2023
Signed Kiah Stokes to a 1-Year Deal[ 10]
April 12, 2023
Signed Elizabeth Balogun to a Training Camp Contract[ 11]
April 14, 2023
Signed Brittany Davis to a Rookie Scale Contract
April 24, 2023
Waived Elizabeth Balogun [ 12]
May 9, 2023
Waived Aisha Sheppard , Courtney Range, and Brittany Davis[ 13]
May 15, 2023
Waived Alexis Peterson [ 14]
June 30, 2023
Signed A'ja Wilson to a Contract Extension[ 15]
July 19, 2023
Signed Ashley Joens to a 7-Day Contract[ 16]
July 26, 2023
Signed Ashley Joens to a 2nd 7-Day Contract[ 17]
August 6, 2023
Signed Alaina Coates to a 7-Day Contract[ 18]
August 10, 2023
Signed Alaina Coates to a 2nd 7-Day Contract[ 19]
August 16, 2023
Signed Alaina Coates to a 3rd 7-Day Contract
August 23, 2023
Signed Alaina Coates to a Hardship Contract[ 20]
Roster Changes
Roster
2023 Las Vegas Aces roster
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Nat.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB From
Yrs
F 1
Bell, Kierstan
6' 1" (1.85m)
176 lb (80kg)
03-16-2000
Florida Gulf Coast
1
F 7
Clark, Alysha
5' 11" (1.8m)
167 lb (76kg)
07-07-1987
Middle Tennessee
10
C 81
Coates, Alaina
6' 4" (1.93m)
225 lb (102kg)
04-07-1995
South Carolina
4
G 51
Colson, Sydney
5' 8" (1.73m)
140 lb (64kg)
1989-08-06
Texas A&M
8
F/C 13
George, Cayla
6' 4" (1.93m)
192 lb (87kg)
05-01-1989
Australia
3
G 12
Gray, Chelsea
5' 11" (1.8m)
170 lb (77kg)
1992-10-08
Duke
8
F/C 3
Parker, Candace
6' 4" (1.93m)
184 lb (83kg)
1986-04-19
Tennessee
15
G 10
Plum, Kelsey
5' 8" (1.73m)
145 lb (66kg)
1994-08-24
Washington
5
C 41
Stokes, Kiah
6' 3" (1.91m)
191 lb (87kg)
1993-03-30
Connecticut
7
G 2
Williams, Riquna
5' 6" (1.68m)
165 lb (75kg)
1990-05-28
Miami (FL)
10
F 22
Wilson, A'ja
6' 4" (1.93m)
195 lb (88kg)
1996-08-08
South Carolina
5
G 0
Young, Jackie
6' 0" (1.83m)
165 lb (75kg)
1997-09-16
Notre Dame
4
Head coach
Becky Hammon (Colorado State )Assistant coaches
Natalie Nakase (UCLA )Birmingham–Southern )Charlene Thomas-Swinson (Auburn )Athletic trainer
Duke
Legend (C) Team captain(FA) Free agent(IN) Inactive(S) Suspended
Depth Chart
Schedule
Preseason
Regular Season
2023 game log
May: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
June
: 10–1 (Home: 6–0; Road: 4–1)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location
Record
5
June 2
@ Atlanta
W 92–87
A'ja Wilson (21)
Kiah Stokes (7)
Chelsea Gray (4)
Gateway Center Arena 5–0
6
June 4
@ Indiana
W 84–80
A'ja Wilson (27)
A'ja Wilson (10)
Chelsea Gray (7)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 6–0
7
June 6
@ Connecticut
W 90–84
A'ja Wilson (23)
A'ja Wilson (10)
Chelsea Gray (7)
Mohegan Sun Arena 7–0
8
June 8
@ Connecticut
L 77–94
Kelsey Plum (16)
Bell Stokes (5)
A'ja Wilson (4)
Mohegan Sun Arena 7–1
9
June 11
Chicago
W 93–80
A'ja Wilson (21)
A'ja Wilson (10)
Candace Parker (7)
Michelob Ultra Arena 8–1
10
June 15
Seattle
W 96–63
Jackie Young (28)
A'ja Wilson (12)
Chelsea Gray (9)
Michelob Ultra Arena 9–1
11
June 18
Minnesota
W 93–62
Jackie Young (24)
A'ja Wilson (14)
Gray Parker (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 10–1
12
June 21
@ Phoenix
W 99–79
Jackie Young (23)
A'ja Wilson (12)
Chelsea Gray (8)
Footprint Center 11–1
13
June 24
Indiana
W 101–88
A'ja Wilson (28)
A'ja Wilson (10)
Chelsea Gray (12)
Michelob Ultra Arena 12–1
14
June 26
Indiana
W 88–80
Chelsea Gray (25)
Candace Parker (12)
Chelsea Gray (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 13–1
15
June 29
New York
W 98–81
Kelsey Plum (18)
Candace Parker (6)
Kelsey Plum (8)
Michelob Ultra Arena 14–1
July
: 10–1 (Home: 4–0; Road: 6–1)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location
Record
16
July 1
Connecticut
W 102–84
Kelsey Plum (25)
A'ja Wilson (13)
Candace Parker (8)
Michelob Ultra Arena 15–1
17
July 5
Dallas
W 89–82
Jackie Young (28)
A'ja Wilson (13)
Chelsea Gray (6)
Michelob Ultra Arena 16–1
18
July 7
@ Dallas
L 78–80
Kelsey Plum (21)
Parker Stokes (6)
Kelsey Plum (6)
College Park Center 16–2
19
July 9
@ Minnesota
W 113–89
Kelsey Plum (40)
A'ja Wilson (10)
Chelsea Gray (10)
Target Center 17–2
20
July 11
Phoenix
W 98–72
Jackie Young (23)
A'ja Wilson (8)
Chelsea Gray (11)
Michelob Ultra Arena 18–2
21
July 12
@ Los Angeles
W 97–78
A'ja Wilson (25)
A'ja Wilson (12)
Gray Young (5)
Crypto.com Arena 19–2
22
July 20
@ Seattle
W 79–63
A'ja Wilson (23)
A'ja Wilson (15)
Chelsea Gray (8)
Climate Pledge Arena 20–2
23
July 22
@ Minnesota
W 98–81
A'ja Wilson (35)
A'ja Wilson (14)
Chelsea Gray (11)
Target Center 21–2
24
July 25
@ Chicago
W 107–95
Kelsey Plum (27)
Kiah Stokes (17)
Chelsea Gray (9)
Wintrust Arena 22–2
25
July 30
Dallas
W 104–91
Kelsey Plum (28)
A'ja Wilson (7)
Chelsea Gray (8)
Michelob Ultra Arena 23–2
August
: 8–4 (Home: 5–1; Road: 3–3)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location
Record
26
August 1
Atlanta
W 93–72
Jackie Young (24)
A'ja Wilson (11)
Chelsea Gray (7)
Michelob Ultra Arena 24–2
27
August 6
@ New York
L 61–99
Jackie Young (16)
A'ja Wilson (7)
Chelsea Gray (6)
Barclays Center 24–3
28
August 8
@ Dallas
W 104–84
A'ja Wilson (28)
A'ja Wilson (14)
Kelsey Plum (8)
College Park Center 25–3
29
August 11
Washington
W 113–89
A'ja Wilson (40)
A'ja Wilson (12)
Gray Plum (10)
Michelob Ultra Arena 26–3
30
August 13
Atlanta
W 86–65
A'ja Wilson (21)
Kiah Stokes (12)
Chelsea Gray (6)
Michelob Ultra Arena 27–3
Commissioner's Cup Final
August 15
New York
L 63–82
Jackie Young (16)
Gray Stokes (6)
Kelsey Plum (6)
Michelob Ultra Arena —
31
August 17
New York
W 88–75
Chelsea Gray (22)
Chelsea Gray (11)
Chelsea Gray (11)
Michelob Ultra Arena 28–3
32
August 19
Los Angeles
L 72–78
A'ja Wilson (25)
A'ja Wilson (9)
Chelsea Gray (7)
Michelob Ultra Arena 28–4
33
August 22
@ Atlanta
W 112–100
A'ja Wilson (53)
Chelsea Gray (9)
Chelsea Gray (12)
Gateway Center Arena 29–4
34
August 24
@ Chicago
W 94–87
Jackie Young (24)
Wilson Young (10)
Chelsea Gray (10)
Wintrust Arena 30–4
35
August 26
@ Washington
L 62–78
Kelsey Plum (21)
A'ja Wilson (11)
Chelsea Gray (4)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 30–5
36
August 28
@ New York
L 85–94
Jackie Young (24)
A'ja Wilson (8)
Chelsea Gray (9)
Barclays Center 30–6
37
August 31
Washington
W 84–75
A'ja Wilson (26)
A'ja Wilson (11)
Kelsey Plum (10)
Michelob Ultra Arena 31–6
September
: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
2023 season schedule
Playoffs
2023 playoff game log
First Round vs. Chicago
Semifinals vs. Dallas
Finals vs. New York Liberty
2023 playoff schedule
Standings
Notes
(#) x – Clinched playoff berthe – Eliminated from postseason contentionSource: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Playoffs
Bold Series winner
Statistics
Regular Season
Player
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG
A'ja Wilson
40
40
30.7
.557
.310
.812
9.5
1.6
1.4
2.2
22.8
Kelsey Plum
39
39
32.4
.475
.389
.912
2.4
4.5
1.1
0.0
18.7
Jackie Young
40
40
31.5
.523
.449
.867
4.0
3.8
1.3
0.1
17.6
Chelsea Gray
40
40
32.2
.490
.421
.897
4.0
7.3
1.4
0.6
15.3
Candace Parker
18
18
23.6
.465
.333
.893
5.4
3.7
1.5
0.9
9.0
Alysha Clark
39
1
22.5
.444
.386
.818
3.4
1.1
0.6
0.2
6.7
Kierstan Bell
36
0
11.8
.346
.244
.600
1.6
0.5
0.4
0.1
3.7
Cayla George
32
0
8.5
.288
.234
.000
1.8
0.4
0.3
0.2
2.3
Kiah Stokes
40
22
19.8
.434
.185
.500
5.9
0.6
0.7
1.0
2.2
Sydney Colson
28
0
4.8
.444
.375
.833
0.4
0.8
0.3
0.0
1.3
Alaina Coates ≠
10
0
3.0
.800
.000
.250
1.0
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.9
Ashley Joens ‡
2
0
3.0
.000
.000
.000
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
‡ Waived/Released during the season
† Traded during the season
≠ Acquired during the season
Playoffs
Player
GP
GS
MPG
FG%
3P%
FT%
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG
A'ja Wilson
9
9
33.2
.554
.500
.831
11.8
1.2
1.4
2.3
23.8
Kelsey Plum
9
9
36.8
.417
.403
.875
3.2
3.8
1.3
0.0
18.3
Jackie Young
9
9
34.8
.421
.415
.914
5.6
5.0
1.6
0.1
16.7
Chelsea Gray
8
8
35.9
.436
.355
1.00
4.8
6.8
1.5
1.0
15.6
Alysha Clark
9
1
24.1
.529
.318
.929
4.4
1.3
0.3
0.1
8.2
Kiah Stokes
8
8
26.1
.563
.500
1.00
7.9
1.3
1.0
0.3
2.8
Cayla George
8
1
6.0
.200
.250
1.00
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.0
1.6
Kierstan Bell
8
0
6.3
.167
.000
1.00
0.8
0.3
0.4
0.3
1.3
Sydney Colson
7
0
4.9
.250
.000
.000
0.4
0.3
0.1
0.0
0.3
Alaina Coates
6
0
1.8
1.00
.000
.000
0.8
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.3
Awards and honors
References
^ "Aces set WNBA single-season wins record with 30th victory" . ESPN . Retrieved October 22, 2023 .^ "Sparks Acquire WNBA Champion Dearica Hamby" . sparks.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved January 22, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Two-Time MVP, Two-Time WNBA Champion Candace Parker" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 3, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Two-Time Champion Alysha Clark" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 3, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Four-Time WNBL Champion Cayla George" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 3, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Alexis Peterson, Courtney Range To Training Camp Contracts" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 3, 2023 .^ "Aces Acquire Pair Of Second Round Picks From Washington" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 5, 2023 .^ "Aces Waive Iliana Rupert" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 12, 2023 .^ "Aces Re-Sign Eight-Year WNBA Veteran Guard And WNBA Champion Sydney Colson" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 12, 2023 .^ "Aces Re-Sign Seven-Year Veteran Center And WNBA Champion Kiah Stokes" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 12, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Duke Guard/Forward Elizabeth Balogun To Training Camp Contract" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved April 15, 2023 .^ "Aces Waive Elizabeth Balogun" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved April 25, 2023 .^ "Aces Waive Davis, Range, Sheppard" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved May 13, 2023 .^ "Aces Waive Alexis Peterson" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved May 18, 2023 .^ "Las Vegas Aces Sign Two-Time M'VP A'ja Wilson To Contract Extension" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved June 30, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Ashley Joens to Emergency Hardship Contract" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved July 21, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Ashley Joens To Second Seven-Day Contract" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved August 16, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Veteran Center Alaina Coates To Emergency Hardship Contract" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved August 16, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Veteran Center Alaina Coates to Second Emergency Hardship Contract" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved August 16, 2023 .^ "Aces Sign Veteran Center Alaina Coates to Rest of Season Contract" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved August 24, 2023 .^ a b c M.A. Voepel (June 25, 2023). "Brittney Griner, Aliyah Boston named WNBA All-Star starters" . ESPN . Retrieved June 23, 2023 .^ @WNBA (June 27, 2023). "🏀 Week 5 Players of the Week 🏀 Eastern Conference: @athomas_25 @connecticutsun 14.0 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 8.7 APG 3-0 week record Western Conference: @_ajawilson22 @lvaces 24.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.0 BPG 2-0 week record #MoreThanGame" (Tweet ) – via Twitter . ^ "A'ja Wilson Earns 12th Career WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week Honor" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA . July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023 .^ "A'ja Wilson Earns 14th Career WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week Honor" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA . August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023 .^ "A'ja Wilson Earns 15th WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week Honor" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA . August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023 .^ a b "Aces Becky Hammon, A'ja Wilson Earn WNBA Monthly Honors" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA . July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023 .^ Kennedy, Alex (August 2, 2023). "Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson are WNBA Players of the Month for July" . basketballnews.com . BasketballNews.com. Retrieved August 2, 2023 . ^ "A'ja Wilson Named KIA WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month For August, 2023" . aces.wnba.com . WNBA . September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023 .^ "Aces star A'ja Wilson wins second straight DPOY award" . ESPN . Retrieved September 22, 2023 .^ @WNBA (September 22, 2023). "Your 2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team ⬇️ @_ajawilson22 @athomas_25 @BrittBundlez @breannastewart @jordin_canada #MoreThanGame" (Tweet ) – via Twitter . ^ a b c "Kia WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year A'ja Wilson and Record-Setting Alyssa Thomas Headline 2023 All-WNBA First Team" . wnba.com (Press release). WNBA. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023 .^ M.A. Voepel (October 19, 2023). "How A'ja Wilson's drive to be the best led Aces to WNBA repeat" . ESPN . Retrieved October 20, 2023 .^ Zalucki, Rachel (August 1, 2023). "Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray awarded second Western Conference Player of the Week honor" . ktnv.com . KTNV-TV . Retrieved August 2, 2023 . ^ "Connecticut Sun's Alyssa Thomas, Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne Highlight Reserves For 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game" . wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved July 1, 2023 .^ "Las Vegas Aces' Alysha Clark Named 2023 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year" (Press release). WNBA. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023 .
External links
Franchise Arenas Head coaches Administration All-Stars Seasons Playoff appearances Conference Championships WNBA Championships Rivals Media
