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.
On December 31, 2021, the Aces named former WNBA great and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon as their new head coach.
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.
Transactions
WNBA draft
RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/team/country 1 8 Mya Hollingshed Colorado 1 11 Kierstan Bell Florida Gulf Coast 2 13 Khayla Pointer LSU 2 23 Aisha Sheppard Virginia Tech 3 35 Faustine Aifuwa LSU
Trades and Roster Changes DateDetails December 31, 2021 Hired Becky Hammon as head coach January 7, 2022 Extended Qualifying Offers to A'ja Wilson and Ji-Su Park January 15, 2022 Renounced the rights to Clarissa dos Santos February 2, 2022 Re-Signed A'ja Wilson to a Two-Year Deal February 3, 2022 Re-Signed Kiah Stokes to a One-Year Deal Re-Signed Riquna Williams to a Two-Year Deal February 15, 2022 Signed Kalani Brown to a training-camp contract February 24, 2022 Hired Natalie Nakase as an Assistant coach March 2, 2022 Signed Sydney Colson to a training-camp contract March 3, 2022 Signed Theresa Plaisance to a training-camp contract March 14, 2022 Hired Tyler Marsh as an Assistant coach April 8, 2022 Waived Destiny Slocum Hired Natalie Williams as General Manager April 10, 2022 Traded a First and Second Round pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the #8 and #13 Picks in the 2022 WNBA draft April 13, 2022 Signed Kierstan Bell, Aisha Sheppard, Faustine Aifuwa, and Mya Hollingshed to rookie-scale contracts Signed Deja Winters to a training-camp contract April 16, 2022 Signed Khayla Pointer to a rookie-scale contract Signed Nancy Mulkey to a training-camp contract Hired Charlene Thomas-Swinson as assistant coach April 18, 2022 Waived Kalani Brown April 19, 2022 Waived Faustine Aifuwa and Deja Winters May 2, 2022 Waived Mya Hollingshed, Khayla Pointer, and Nancy Mulkey May 3, 2022 Signed Victoria Macaulay to a training-camp contract May 5, 2022 Waived Victoria Macaulay Temporarily Suspend Kiah Stokes due to Overseas Commitments May 16, 2022 Signed Jackie Young to a contract extension May 17, 2022 Activated Kiah Stokes from her Temporary Suspension May 23, 2022 Signed Chelsea Gray to a Contract Extension June 19, 2022 Signed Iliana Rupert to a rookie-scale contract June 29, 2022 Signed Dearica Hamby to a Contract Extension July 17, 2022 Signed Kelsey Plum to a 2-Year Contract Extension
Roster
Depth Pos.StarterBench C Kiah Stokes Iliana Rupert PF A'ja Wilson Dearica HambyTheresa Plaisance SF Jackie Young Kierstan Bell SG Kelsey Plum Riquna WilliamsAisha Sheppard PG Chelsea Gray Sydney Colson
Schedule
Preseason
| 1 | May 1 | @ Minnesota | L 86–89 | Kelsey Plum (16) | A'ja Wilson (7) | Kelsey Plum (5) | Target CenterN/A | 0–1
Regular season
| 1 | May 6 | @ Phoenix | W 106–88 | Dearica Hamby (24) | A'ja Wilson (11) | Kelsey Plum (7) | Footprint Center7,167 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 8 | Seattle | W 85–74 | A'ja Wilson (20) | Dearica Hamby (19) | Kelsey Plum (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena6,212 | 2–0 |- | 3 | May 10 | @ Washington | L 76–89 | Jackie Young (19) | A'ja Wilson (11) | Chelsea Gray (5) | Entertainment and Sports Arena3,082 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 13 | @ Atlanta | W 96–73 | A'ja Wilson (15) | Dearica Hamby (13) | Kelsey Plum (11) | Gateway Center Arena3,138 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 17 | Phoenix | W 86–74 | Kelsey Plum (20) | A'ja Wilson (10) | Chelsea Gray (9) | Michelob Ultra Arena2,536 | 4–1 |- | 6 | May 19 | Minnesota | W 93–87 | Jackie Young (25) | Dearica Hamby (12) | Chelsea Gray (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena3,640 | 5–1 |- | 7 | May 21 | Phoenix | W 100–80 | Kelsey Plum (24) | Theresa Plaisance (9) | GrayYoung (5) | Michelob Ultra Arena5,572 | 6–1 |- | 8 | May 23 | Los Angeles | W 104–76 | A'ja Wilson (24) | Jackie Young (9) | Kelsey Plum (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena4,092 | 7–1 |- | 9 | May 28 | @ Chicago | W 83–76 | A'ja Wilson (22) | A'ja Wilson (16) | GrayPlumYoung (6) | Wintrust Arena6,812 | 8–1 |- | 10 | May 31 | Connecticut | W 89–81 | A'ja Wilson (24) | A'ja Wilson (14) | Kelsey Plum (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena4,693 | 9–1
| 11 | June 2 | Connecticut | L 90–97 | Jackie Young (26) | HambyWilson (7) | Kelsey Plum (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena3,801 | 9–2 |- | 12 | June 5 | Dallas | W 84–78 | Kelsey Plum (32) | Dearica Hamby (8) | HambyPlum (5) | Michelob Ultra Arena4,814 | 10–2 |- | 13 | June 11 | @ Los Angeles | W 89–72 | A'ja Wilson (35) | A'ja Wilson (11) | Kelsey Plum (8) | Crypto.com Arena8,200 | 11–2 |- | 14 | June 15 | @ Dallas | W 92–84 | Kelsey Plum (27) | Dearica Hamby (12) | Chelsea Gray (8) | College Park Center4,375 | 12–2 |- | 15 | June 19 | Minnesota | W 96–95 | A'ja Wilson (25) | A'ja Wilson (8) | Chelsea Gray (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena4,603 | 13–2 |- | 16 | June 21 | Chicago | L 95–104 | Jackie Young (23) | A'ja Wilson (11) | GrayPlum (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena4,951 | 13–3 |- | 17 | June 25 | Washington | L 86–87 (OT) | PlumYoung (20) | A'ja Wilson (14) | Chelsea Gray (6) | Michelob Ultra Arena7,171 | 13–4 |- | 18 | June 27 | @ Los Angeles | W 79–73 | Kelsey Plum (29) | A'ja Wilson (11) | Jackie Young (7) | Crypto.com Arena4,200 | 14–4 |- | 19 | June 29 | @ Seattle | L 78–88 | A'ja Wilson (17) | A'ja Wilson (16) | Chelsea Gray (8) | Climate Pledge Arena9,499 | 14–5
| 20 | July 1 | @ Minnesota | W 91–85 | Chelsea Gray (21) | A'ja Wilson (12) | Kelsey Plum (10) | Target Center6,104 | 15–5 |- | 21 | July 3 | @ Minnesota | L 71–102 | Kelsey Plum (12) | A'ja Wilson (7) | Kelsey Plum (5) | Target Center7,603 | 15–6 |- | 22 | July 6 | New York | L 107–116 | A'ja Wilson (29) | A'ja Wilson (9) | Chelsea Gray (6) | Michelob Ultra Arena8,405 | 15–7 |- | 23 | July 12 | @ New York | W 107–101 | Kelsey Plum (27) | A'ja Wilson (14) | Jackie Young (7) | Barclays Center5,201 | 16–7 |- | 24 | July 14 | @ New York | W 108–74 | A'ja Wilson (25) | Dearica Hamby (7) | Jackie Young (9) | Barclays Center9,896 | 17–7 |- | 25 | July 17 | @ Connecticut | W 91–83 | Kelsey Plum (22) | HambyWilson (7) | Chelsea Gray (9) | Mohegan Sun Arena6,814 | 18–7 |- | 26 | July 19 | Atlanta | L 76–92 | A'ja Wilson (22) | A'ja Wilson (10) | Kelsey Plum (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena5,952 | 18–8 |- | 27 | July 21 | Indiana | W 90–77 | A'ja Wilson (23) | Dearica Hamby (9) | Chelsea Gray (12) | Michelob Ultra Arena5,737 | 19–8 |- | 28 | July 23 | Los Angeles | W 84–66 | Kelsey Plum (29) | Jackie Young (9) | Jackie Young (6) | Michelob Ultra Arena7,522 | 20–8 |- | CC Final | July 26 | @ Chicago | W 93–83 | Kelsey Plum (24) | A'ja Wilson (17) | Kelsey Plum (6) | Wintrust Arena8,922 | N/A |- | 29 | July 29 | @ Indiana | W 93–72 | PlumWilson (22) | Jackie Young (7) | GrayYoung (5) | Hinkle Fieldhouse1,828 | 21–8 |- | 30 | July 31 | @ Indiana | W 94–69 | Kelsey Plum (26) | Kiah Stokes (10) | Chelsea Gray (7) | Hinkle Fieldhouse1,822 | 22–8
| 31 | August 2 | @ Washington | L 73–83 | A'ja Wilson (22) | A'ja Wilson (12) | Kelsey Plum (5) | Entertainment and Sports Arena4,200 | 22–9 |- | 32 | August 4 | @ Dallas | L 80–82 | Chelsea Gray (28) | A'ja Wilson (9) | Kelsey Plum (7) | College Park Center3,492 | 22–10 |- | 33 | August 7 | @ Seattle | W 89–81 | A'ja Wilson (29) | Kiah Stokes (9) | Chelsea Gray (9) | Climate Pledge Arena18,100 | 23–10 |- | 34 | August 9 | Atlanta | W 97–90 | A'ja Wilson (24) | A'ja Wilson (14) | Kelsey Plum (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena5,151 | 24–10 |- | 35 | August 11 | Chicago | W 89–78 | Kelsey Plum (25) | Kiah Stokes (7) | Kelsey Plum (5) | Michelob Ultra Arena6,055 | 25–10 |- | 36 | August 14 | Seattle | W 109–100 | Chelsea Gray (33) | A'ja Wilson (10) | Chelsea Gray (9) | Michelob Ultra Arena10,015 | 26–10
Playoffs
| 1 | August 17 | Phoenix | W 79–63 | Kelsey Plum (22) | Kiah Stokes (13) | GrayPlum (4) | Michelob Ultra Arena8,725 | 1–0 |- | 2 | August 20 | Phoenix | W 117–80 | Chelsea Gray (27) | Riquna Williams (5) | Chelsea Gray (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena9,126 | 2–0
| 1 | August 28 | Seattle | L 73–76 | Chelsea Gray (21) | A'ja Wilson (12) | GrayYoung (5) | Michelob Ultra Arena9,944 | 0–1 |- | 2 | August 31 | Seattle | W 78–73 | A'ja Wilson (33) | A'ja Wilson (13) | Chelsea Gray (7) | Michelob Ultra Arena9,755 | 1–1 |- | 3 | September 4 | @ Seattle | W 110–98 (OT) | A'ja Wilson (34) | Kiah Stokes (12) | Chelsea Gray (12) | Climate Pledge Arena15,431 | 2–1 |- | 4 | September 6 | @ Seattle | W 97–92 | Chelsea Gray (31) | A'ja Wilson (13) | Chelsea Gray (10) | Climate Pledge Arena11,328 | 3–1
| 1 | September 11 | Connecticut | W 67–64 | A'ja Wilson (24) | A'ja Wilson (11) | Chelsea Gray (3) | Michelob Ultra Arena10,135 | 1–0 |- | 2 | September 13 | Connecticut | W 85–71 | A'ja Wilson (26) | A'ja Wilson (10) | Chelsea Gray (8) | Michelob Ultra Arena10,211 | 2–0 |- | 3 | September 15 | @ Connecticut | L 76–105 | Jackie Young (22) | Kiah Stokes (7) | Chelsea Gray (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena8,745 | 2–1 |- | 4 | September 18 | @ Connecticut | W 78–71 | Chelsea Gray (20) | A'ja Wilson (14) | Jackie Young (8) | Mohegan Sun Arena9,652 | 3–1
Standings
Playoffs
Statistics
Regular season