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A’ja Wilson and the Aces have a secret weapon in the WNBA Finals

A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray practice the day before the Aces meet the Sun in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. (Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

When A’ja Wison found out she had played 161 minutes of basketball over four games, she laughed.

During Las Vegas’ 3-1 semifinals series win over the Storm, Wilson was on the court for all but four minutes, including an overtime contest in which she never subbed out. While Wilson was processing the numbers, teammate Chelsea Gray took over the press conference.

“She’s in the best shape of her life,” Gray said, turning to look at Wilson after a series-ending win over the Storm on Tuesday night.

She has to be, and Wilson isn’t the only one.

Becky Hammon always had a clear picture of what the Las Vegas Aces would look like with her at the helm.

She wanted a team that could get up and down the court for 40 minutes. A team that could outrun its opponents and play with the same intensity in the first quarter as it did in overtime.

“She said right off the bat that we are going to be a team that plays fast-paced basketball,” Aces physical therapist and strength coach Erin Connor said. “We are great at basketball, but we are also going to beat other teams because we’re in better shape and we are faster.”

Las Vegas has the added wrinkle of playing that high-intensity style with limited personnel. Starters Kelsey Plum, Wilson, Jackie Young and Gray all play 30 minutes or more per game, and typically only one or two players come off the bench for limited minutes.

Going into the postseason, the Aces’ lack of depth was regarded as the team’s biggest weakness. And now, as they get ready to take on the Connecticut Sun in the Finals starting with Game 1 on Sunday, that small rotation remains the biggest question mark.

For the public that is.

The Aces don’t view it as a weakness.

“It creates a lot of chemistry within that first unit,” Dearica Hamby said. “I think there is a special bond between our team, and it shows when we play.”

The Aces thrive on the court because of the work they do off of it. But it’s not all about running sprints and lifting weights. The biggest key to keeping the Aces in shape is their dedication to recovery.

“It’s all about sleep, hydration and what they are eating,” physical therapist and athletic trainer Michelle Anumba said.

Each recovery plan follows those same basic principles, but Anumba and Connor personalize 12 separate plans for each individual.

Some players prefer to do their recovery at home or in the hotel on road trips. Others like to get everything done at the arena. Those treatments can range from ice wrapped around a sore limb, to cold tubs and epsom salt baths, to compression boots and massages.

And while dedication to recovery is a necessary component of any athlete’s regime, the players don’t always like it.

“If A’ja is extremely sore, she will do a cold tub,” Anumba said. “And it’s always entertaining to see her get in. She’s always screaming. It’s a love/hate relationship with the cold tub.”

High-usage players like Wilson can go straight to the massages and ice after a game, but players who don’t see as much court time have a different routine.

“We want to make sure those athletes are keeping up the same intensity of cardio, whether they played 40 minutes or 10 minutes,” Connor said. “They will do a workout that is aimed at mimicking the cardiac workload of a game so they can stay in the same performance shape.”

Kiah Stokes knows exactly what it’s like to be one of those lower-usage players. During the regular season, her minutes fluctuated. Sometimes she played 20 or more, but often her minutes hovered around 10, and there were multiple contests where she didn’t play at all.

But when Hamby was sidelined with a right knee bone contusion in early August, Stokes was thrust into a starting role.

Hammon plays a small rotation, but she also expects every player on the roster to be ready at all times.

“In practice, we do a great job of making the starters better and vice versa,” Stokes said. “Everyone has a role, even if they aren’t necessarily playing in games. Everyone is contributing to the team.”

In the series against Connecticut, Hammon will have access to both Stokes and Hamby. Though Hamby admits she isn’t 100 percent and wasn’t even expected to return this season, she’s willing to play whatever role her coach asks of her.

“It’s been frustrating for me,” the All-Star forward said. “Because I feel guilt that I can’t contribute the way I was contributing in the first half of the season.

“I’m still locked in and prepared to play whatever is needed.”

If it was up to Hamby, she probably wouldn’t have spent any time on the bench in street clothes this season. But that’s part of Anumba and Connor’s jobs, making sure no one plays until they are ready.

An injured player’s recovery process is all about baby steps. They start in the training room, then the weight room, and then begin transitioning back to the court.

“For her, she had a lot of milestones to meet,” Anumba said. “Her knee range of motion, to getting her swelling down, to walking back to normal.”

Hamby’s minutes will likely continue to be limited during the Finals, while Stokes will remain in the starter’s role.

As for the rest of the starters, playing 40 minutes is nothing. Especially when there’s a WNBA championship on the line.

“Everyone is ready,” Stokes said. “When your name is called, then you’re ready to play.”

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

2025 WNBA Season Tips Off with Action-Packed Friday Lineup

The Golden State Valkyries and LA Sparks tip off a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
The Valkyries play their first-ever official league game in Friday's 2025 WNBA season tip-off. (Supriya Limaye/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA season is finally here, with Friday's official tip-off leading an opening weekend full of tough competition and simmering storylines.

The reigning champion New York Liberty enter as odds-on favorites, but results are nearly impossible to predict after a very active offseason across the league.

This weekend's slate features new builds, regional rivalries, and plenty of fresh faces as top 2025 draft picks log their first pro minutes.

  • Minnesota Lynx vs. Dallas Wings, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): This year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers makes her official WNBA debut as revamped Dallas tests itself against a Minnesota team still stinging over last year's title loss.
  • Los Angeles Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Valkyries play their first-ever regular-season game, looking to form an identity against downstate rivals LA, led by new Sparks addition Kelsey Plum.
  • Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty, Saturday at 1 PM ET (ABC): The 2023 champs meet the 2024 title-winners in a heavyweight clash that sees 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson take on a confident New York team led by guard Sabrina Ionescu.
  • Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): Last year's rookie headliners Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese meet again in Indiana, with the regional rivals relying on both incoming vets and young cores to write their next chapters.

Packed with great matchups, this weekend is the ideal tip-off for a 2025 season that promises to be a wild ride — no matter which WNBA team you follow.

No. 1 Kansas City Faces No. 2 Orlando in Top-Table NWSL Weekend Match

Orlando's Marta dribbles the ball past Kansas City's Nichelle Prince during the 2024 NWSL semifinals.
Orlando ousted Kansas City in the 2024 NWSL semifinals. (Dustin Markland/Getty Images)

The NWSL is back in action this weekend with a top-table match, a bicoastal battle, and some middle-of-the-pack clashes as the 2025 season enters its ninth matchday.

Parity is riding high these days, with just three points dividing the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 3 Washington Spirit in the NWSL standings — while only three more separate the No. 4 San Diego Wave from the No. 8 Seattle Reign.

With competition remaining tough as nails, don't expect much more daylight between teams following this weekend's tense lineup:

  • No. 7 Gotham FC vs. No. 4 San Diego Wave, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): Coming off a two-game winless streak, Gotham is still searching for consistency as they take on a confident San Diego side that hasn't lost in four games.
  • No. 9 Racing Louisville vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): All tied up with 11 points each, Seattle will look to hold off Louisville as Racing continues to hunt the club's first-ever playoff berth.
  • No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): There's little love lost between these NWSL titans, as the reigning champion Pride takes on hosting duties in an attempt to leapfrog current top-dog Kansas City in Friday's marquee match.

In a season dominated by topsy-turvy results, the pressure to secure points week-over-week weighs heaviest on the teams who know they have the talent to rise above the rest.

Esther Extends Gotham Contract Amid MVP-Quality NWSL Season

Gotham forward Esther celebrates a goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
Gotham FC's Esther currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race. (Hannah Foslien/NWSL via Getty Images)

This season's NWSL Golden Boot leader Esther González is sticking with Gotham, with the Spanish international extending her contract with the NJ/NY club through 2027.

After helping Gotham to a first-ever NWSL championship in 2023, González earned the league's Best XI Second Team honors last year before launching a red-hot campaign this season.

The 2023 World Cup winner has tallied seven goals in nine games for Gotham in 2025, showcasing a blistering rush of form that has her sitting two goals ahead of the next Golden Boot race contender.

"Above all, it's about how I've felt during these two and a half years with Gotham FC," González said in Thursday's team announcement. "Continuing to be happy both on and off the field is really important. To keep enjoying myself and representing Gotham's colors, which I truly identify with, is something really incredible."

Gotham's continued investment underlines the 32-year-old's case for 2025 MVP candidacy, as award frontrunners start to emerge one-third of the way through the 2025 NWSL season.

González leads the NWSL in shots on target while sitting fourth in expected goals per 90 minutes, with her scoring outpacing many of her peers.

Other players crafting strong 2025 NWSL MVP resumes include Kansas City's 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga and comeback star Debinha, Angel City wunderkind Alyssa Thompson, and Orlando sharpshooter Barbra Banda.

FA Cup Finalist Chelsea FC Heads to Wembley with Historic Treble in Sight

Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze heads the game-winning goal past Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce in a 2025 WSL match.
Chelsea will aim for the domestic treble in Sunday's 2025 FA Cup final. (Molly Darlington - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Following a dominant 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea FC will look to cap their historic run by completing a domestic treble on Sunday, when they'll battle Manchester United for a third season trophy in the 2025 FA Cup final.

After securing the 2024/25 League Cup in March amidst an unbeaten run to a sixth-straight WSL title, the Blues will close out their season against the league's third-place finishers, the Red Devils, in London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

Should Chelsea secure the 2025 FA Cup, they will add a second domestic treble to their resume after clinching their first trio of trophies in the 2020/21 season. This time, however, they could do so in undefeated fashion.

"We are in a really good place, just the fact that we won the league being unbeaten," said first-year Blues manager Sonia Bompastor. "To end the season with an FA Cup final at Wembley against Man United is maybe the perfect way to end the season."

The 2023/24 Manchester United team and staff celebrate their first-ever FA Cup championship.
Manchester United seeks to defend their 2024 FA Cup title. (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Manchester United hunts second straight FA Cup trophy

Standing between Chelsea and the treble are 2024 FA Cup champions Manchester United, who will take aim at their only trophy of the season partly behind the play of 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove winner and USWNT goalkeeper prospect Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Man United enter as the game's undisputed underdogs, having dropped both their WSL regular-season matches against Chelsea in narrow 1-0 defeats.

Even more, the Red Devils must overcome a particular tough stretch of play, facing more than a month without a victory on their schedule.

Man United's last win was their 2-0 FA Cup semifinal victory over Manchester City on April 13th, with the Red Devils suffering a pair of losses and recording two draws to close out WSL play.

That said, United has experience downing the Blues on the FA Cup stage, ousting Chelsea from last year's semifinals en route to a club-first FA title.

Remarking that Manchester United "are a really strong team," Bompastor pointed out that the Red Devils "don't concede a lot of goals, and we need to remember that."

"You only get the trophy if you win, so we need to make sure going into the game we have the best preparation and we perform on the day."

How to watch Chelsea play Manchester United at the FA Cup final

The 2025 FA Cup final between Chelsea FC and Manchester United will kick off at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Live coverage of the match will begin at 8:20 AM ET on ESPN+.

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