It was a year of firsts for the Las Vegas Aces: their first Commissioner’s Cup, Kelsey Plum’s first All-Star appearance and MVP award, Becky Hammon’s first season coaching in the WNBA and, of course, their first WNBA title — which was also the first professional championship won by a Las Vegas professional sports franchise.

They added to their success on the basketball court by pushing the envelope off the court as well. From Hammon’s history-making contract, to their biggest stars speaking out on issues that affect the league, the Aces were front and center of the basketball world in 2022.

A team worthy of celebrating, the Aces are taking home another honor as our Team of the Year.

Las Vegas finished the season as the WNBA’s No. 1 overall team at 26-10 and cruised through the first round of playoffs, with two dominant victories over the Phoenix Mercury. Then, after dropping their first game in the semifinals to the Storm — the team thought to be their biggest challenger in the postseason — the Aces won three in a row, including a 110-98 overtime win in Game 3 where A’ja Wison finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds.

The Aces clinched their first championship on Sept. 18 with a 78-71 road victory over the Connecticut Sun. Chelsea Gray was named Finals MVP after leading the Aces in assists in eight of 10 playoff games and averaging 18.2 points, six assists, three rebounds and 1.2 steals during the season. It was vindication for Gray, who was snubbed for the WNBA All-Star Game earlier in the season.

Chelsea Gray from deep 👌 pic.twitter.com/1WGDZjchbm

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) September 18, 2022

The title was also further proof of Hammon’s coaching prowess — though she didn’t need it. Afterward, Hammon said winning a championship wasn’t about proving doubters wrong; it was about proving herself right.

Hammon served as an assistant coach on the San Antonio Spurs staff from 2014-22 and was passed over for several head coaching jobs along the way. But the NBA’s loss was the Aces’ gain.

“When I took the job in December, I thought when I started kind of breaking down their rosters that I could do something with it,” Hammon said of her decision to take the job.

“I felt they had the talent to do it, and I felt that I could build the relationships and build the culture in the right way for us to put ourselves in a position to be able to win a championship.”

Becky Hammon let 'em hear it 👏

🔴 First year as head coach
🔴 No. 1 Seed
🔴 Coach of the Year
🔴 WNBA Champs @espnW | @BeckyHammon pic.twitter.com/UA2QlU0bSG

— ESPN (@espn) September 18, 2022

It was also a testament to the organization’s years of work toward building a contender, from the early years in Utah, to the relocation in San Antonio, and finally to their home in Las Vegas.

“Las Vegas, we are world champions,” Aces (and Raiders) owner Mark Davis said during the parade. “It wasn’t an overnight journey. The WNBA and this franchise has been around for 26 years. Over the years, we’ve had alumni, fans, staff, coaches that helped build this organization to where it is today.”

Davis was serious about turning the Aces into a successful franchise when he purchased the team in January 2021. With every high-profile signing (Gray in 2021) and contract extension (Wilson in 2022), Davis and his front office sent a message to the WNBA and women’s sports world about the power of investment. He made his biggest statement yet last December, when Hammon joined the Aces on a five-year contract worth over $1 million per year that made her the highest-paid coach in the WNBA.

Las Vegas’ management is dedicated to the future of their team. With the success that came along with their investment in 2022, the Aces built a platform, and they are using it.

Wilson and Plum have been particularly vocal about growing the game through increases in player compensation, improvements in travel, and other means that affect their peers on a regular basis. Plum recently went on the Residency Podcast to discuss the WNBA’s fight for equal pay, while Wilson spoke with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks about visibility in women’s sports.

In 2022, when the Aces played, people watched. And when they talked, people listened.

Here’s to the JWS Team of the Year, and more Aces world domination in 2023.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Though international retirement did not stick for Brazil legend Marta, with the 39-year-old currently captaining her world No. 4 national team at the 2025 Copa América tournament, her World Cup future remains in question.

Brazil will be hosting the 2027 event — the first ever held in South America — with the record-breaking attacker turning 41 years old a few months before the World Cup's June 24th kickoff.

"I don't know whether I'll still be playing in 2027 or whether I'll be fit," she told Brazilian outlet Globo on Sunday.

"I still have a very strong desire to be a mother. So, I might wake up one day and decide to call my doctor to see if it's still possible. If it is, then bye, I have to go."

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Should she decide to compete, Marta will join fellow Brazilian icon Formiga in logging seven total World Cups — the most of any athlete, man or woman, in soccer history.

In the meantime, the country's all-time leading goalscorer is currently working to help claim Brazil's ninth overall Copa América trophy.

Though early in the 2025 tournament, the Seleção is already on their way to a fifth straight title, opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of No. 48 Venezuela on Sunday.

"Brazil is the favorite, and we know it," said Marta. "We know our responsibility to bring home the title." 

How to watch Marta in the 2025 Copa América tournament

In their second of four group-stage matches, No. 4 Brazil will play No. 105 Bolivia at 5 PM ET on Wednesday.

The match will air live on FS1.

Portland's original WNBA team name is back, with the 2026 expansion side announcing the return of the the Portland Fire moniker on Tuesday — the name held by the city's first WNBA squad from 2000 to 2002.

With details including a "Rose on Fire" emblem— a nod to Portland's "Rose City" nickname — the city-specific nods in the new logo seek to capture Portland's identity.

"[It's] an important heritage," team interim president Clare Hamill told The Athletic this week. "The opportunity to bring the Portland Fire back, reborn, was 100 percent — creatively and for the brand and for fans — the way to go."

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While the team is still searching for its head coach and general manager, excitement is growing, with fans anteing up to the tune of over 10,000 season-ticket deposits since the WNBA awarded the franchise last fall.

"Portland has long stood at the forefront of women's sports, and with nearly 11,000 season ticket deposits to-date, this community has made it clear they're ready to embrace the return of women's professional basketball," said Lisa Bhathal Merage, a co-founder of RAJ Sports — the ownership group of both the WNBA team and the NWSL's Thorns. "We're proud to reignite the Portland Fire."

In addition to the Portland Fire, the Toronto Tempo will hit WNBA courts next season, with three more expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia set to tip off in 2028, 2029, and 2030, respectively.

The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off on Wednesday, with the eight remaining contenders sitting just three wins away from becoming champions of Europe.

While every win-or-go-home game promises excitement, a few of this week's matchups hold extra intrigue:

• No. 16 Norway vs. No. 13 Italy, Wednesday at 3 PM ET (FOX): After winning Group A last week, a wobbly yet talented Norway side will kick off the 2025 Euro quarterfinals against second-place Group B team Italy — a squad with a proven ability to hit a counterpunch should they go down early.

• No. 6 Sweden vs. No. 5 England, Thursday at 3 PM ET (FOX): Sweden looked utterly dominant in their 4-1 dismantling of Germany to win Group C on Saturday, and their reward is a date with the reigning champions, who bounced back from an early loss to France.

• No. 2 Spain vs. No. 23 Switzerland, Friday at 3 PM ET (FOX): The 2023 World Cup champs have looked like the favorites to win it all by cruising through Group B, while a stoppage-time goal last Thursday sent the tournament hosts to their first-ever Euro quarterfinal.

• No. 10 France vs. No. 3 Germany, Saturday at 3 PM ET (FOX): France emerged unscathed from the notorious "Group of Death," earning the Group D winners an advantage of momentum over a German side reeling from their 4-1 group-stage loss to Sweden.

The WNBA announced superstar lineups for the 2025 All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge on Tuesday, though the league will have to hope their best laid plans survive to see the weekend.

Along with the previously self-confirmed Sabrina Ionescu (New York) and Sonia Citron (Washington), Friday's 3-Point Contest roster will include Caitlin Clark (Indiana), Kelsey Plum (LA), and reigning event champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta).

Gray will also be defending her 2024 Skills Challenge title, with Natasha Cloud (New York), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Erica Wheeler (Seattle), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota) looking to usurp the Dream guard on Friday.

Despite the WNBA's confirmation of Clark's long-awaited 3-Point Contest debut, her availability is now in question after the Fever guard appeared to re-aggravate a lingering groin injury, forcing her early exit from Indiana's 85-77 win over Connecticut on Tuesday night.

Fever head coach Stephanie White said afterwards that Clark "felt a little something in her groin," with further evaluation expected as Indiana travels to face New York on Wednesday.

This year's All-Star contingent already suffered one loss, with Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard sidelined with a left knee injury through the end of the month. In her stead, Minnesota guard Kayla McBride will step in, making her fifth career All-Star appearance.

Set to captain one of this weekend's All-Star squads, the WNBA is hoping that Clark is fully available for what's shaping up to be a huge celebration of basketball in Indianapolis.

How to watch the All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take the Indianapolis court at 8 PM ET on Friday, with both competitions airing live on ESPN.