The Las Vegas Aces are the 2022 WNBA champions.

The franchise clinched its first title with a 78-71 win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

The No. 1 seed entering the playoffs, Las Vegas dominated the season from start to finish, led by rookie head coach Becky Hammon and MVP A’ja Wilson. Just Women’s Sports looks back to see just how good this Aces team was.

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Las Vegas finished atop the Western Conference for the third year in a row. The third time proved the charm, as the team claimed its first-ever championship.

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Of the five Aces starters, four averaged more than 10 points per game through the regular season: Kelsey Plum (20.2), A’ja Wilson (19.5), Jackie Young (15.9) and Chelsea Gray (13.7).

Dearica Hamby came close behind, averaging 9.3 points per game.

9.5

The Aces finished second in the league in 3-pointers made, with 9.5 per game. They made 343 total – more than double their total from last season (162), when the team finished 11th out of 12 teams.

Hammon placed an emphasis on the team improving their 3-point shooting, and it showed in the team’s high-octane offense.

Las Vegas matched the WNBA record for 3-pointers in a game back in May, posting 18 total, as Hammon got off to the best 10-game start of any coach in league history. She ended up taking home the Coach of the Year award.

26

The Aces won 26 games this season, the most in a season in franchise history.

Their .722 winning percentage is the third-best in franchise history behind the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (.818) and the 2021 season (.750).

88.3

Las Vegas finished the regular season averaging a league-high 88.3 points per game, helped by a league-leading field goal percentage of 48.7.

The team also finished second in rebounds per game (36.4), trailing only Connecticut, and third in blocks (4.4).

As the 2025 tennis calendar hits the home stretch, the WTA's finest will hit the hardcourt at the 1000-level China Open this week — with invites to November's WTA Finals on the line.

Top US players including world No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 7 Jessica Pegula will begin their 2025 China Open campaigns when the tournament's Round of 64 starts late Thursday night.

Also aiming for the lion's share of the competition's nearly $9 million prize pool — including a winner's check over $1.1 million — are 2023 China Open champ No. 2 Iga Świątek, 19-year-old rising star No. 23 Victoria Mboko, and recent US Open semifinalist and fan favorite No. 14 Naomi Osaka.

The world No. 1, however, will miss this edition of the tournament, as back-to-back US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka withdrew due to "a minor injury" earlier this month.

As for the competition's reigning champion, Gauff will kick off both her title defense and the Round of 64 on Thursday, following up her 2024 success by winning her second career Grand Slam at the 2025 French Open in June.

"I think winning the French Open helped me take that weight off," Gauff told reporters about the pressure of defending her 2024 trophy. "I definitely feel a lot lighter. It feels like a practice tournament."

How to watch the 2025 China Open

The Round of 64 at the 2025 China Open kicks off with Gauff taking on No. 89 Kamilla Rakhimova at 11 PM ET on Thursday.

All tournament matches will stream live on the Tennis Channel.

The PWHL is gearing up for a blockbuster third season, with the pro hockey league reporting surging season ticket sales across all markets — and 2025/26 expansion sides Seattle and Vancouver are leading the charge.

PWHL executive board member Stan Kasten told Sports Business Journal last week that each of the new teams amassed more than 5,000 season ticket deposits for the 2025/26 campaign as of May, fueling growth throughout the emerging league.

"In every city this year — every city — we have sold more season tickets than we had last year," Kasten said. "The two expansion teams we added this year are just the two leaders of what is going to become a movement. We are going to be adding more teams much sooner than other people thought because the demand is there, the players are there."

The league is also banking on the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics to boost interest, with more than 50 current PWHL players expected to take the global stage in Italy this February.

"I expect it to be a really important milestone for us," Kasten said of the Winter Games earlier this summer. "It should be a really special time for our league, and I hope a launchpad for the next phase of our development."

The Black Women's Player Collective (BWPC) is making moves, with the organization announcing plans to co-host a first-of-its-kind national showcase for top-ranked Black women's soccer athletes this November.

In partnership with Allstate and Black Star, the BWPC's Next Wave National Showcase will take over the Texas campus of HBCU Prairie View A&M from November 22nd to 25th.

The new BWPC program will feature 20 to 30 of the country's best Black high school soccer players, with the showcase looking to help bridge the professional gap left following the abolishment of the NWSL draft in the most recent CBA — much like the recently announced NWSL combines that will debut this December.

Founded by NWSL standouts in October 2020, the now-global non-profit aims to establish a talent pipeline to ensure diversity as the sport grows, with Black players currently making up 12% of the US pro league.

"We founded the BWPC with a clear mission: to create space and open doors within the existing soccer framework for girls whose skills, talent, and drive position them to compete at the highest level," BWPC board member and North Carolina Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto said in a press release. "As the first women's soccer organization to champion the growth of the game through the lens of diversity, we remain committed to partnering with others equally invested in advancing women's sports."

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is loading up on fresh talent, officially signing the Top 3 WNBA rookies as first-year Washington Mystics stars Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen join Dallas Wings superstar Paige Bueckers on the offseason league's expanded 2026 roster.

As the only rookie WNBA All-Stars in 2025, Bueckers, Citron, and Iriafen led their class in points per game, field goals made, and field goal percentage while breaking multiple rookie records along the way.

Connecticut Sun first-year Saniya Rivers will also be making her Unrivaled debut this winter, joining the league's second season after ranking sixth in WNBA rookie shooting while leading her class in blocks per game.

Unrivaled has already proven to be a springboard for young players, with 2024 newcomers Rickea Jackson (LA Sparks) and Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut Sun) stepping into the 3×3 spotlight this past January.

Both Jackson and Edwards will return to the Miami-based competition in 2026, with fellow 2024 WNBA rookie Kate Martin of the Golden State Valkyries also entering the Unrivaled fray.

Unrivaled has also tapped future WNBA rookies in off-court deals, racking up more than a dozen big-name NIL signings ahead of its 2026 tip-off.

Unrivaled roster announcements will continue through October 1st, with the league set to tip off in January.