Kierstan Bell watched her halfcourt shot swish through the hoop near the end of the Las Vegas Aces practice Friday at T-Mobile Arena and sprinted toward coach Becky Hammon.
Hammon was holding an unspecified amount of money in her hand for the first person to make it, and Bell happily snapped up the cash before she took off on a brief victory lap showing off the prize.
If the Aces were feeling the weight of expectations on the eve of the WNBA regular season, they certainly didn’t show it.
The Aces begin defense of their WNBA title Saturday when they host the Phoenix Mercury at 12:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena in a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals. The team will receive its championship rings in a pregame ceremony.
“In my mind, I’ve already got the ring. This is just me seeing it,” star A’ja Wilson said. “I’m excited just to get back on the court again. I’ve been unemployed for a couple of months. I’ve been watching a lot of basketball, but I haven’t been able to play. So I’m excited just to finally be employed and playing.”
The Aces are the second choice by oddsmakers to win the WNBA title this season, and the roster returns largely intact led by Wilson, who signed a supermax contract in the offseason worth nearly $5 million over three years that made her the highest-paid player in the league.
Wilson collected her record fourth WNBA MVP award last season when she averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and a career-best 3.1 assists. The ninth-year pro is hopeful the Aces get off to a better start and avoid fighting an uphill battle like the one they faced in 2025.
The Aces were 14-14 following a 111-58 home loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 2, then reeled off 16 straight wins to close the regular season. They were pushed to the limit by the Seattle Storm and Indiana Fever in the first two rounds of the playoffs before sweeping Phoenix 4-0 in the final.
“If we can just get an opportunity, the belief has to be there. The buy-in factor has to be there. The value of two points has to be there,” Wilson said. “It’s just the value of those two points. Whether it’s guarding the paint a little bit better or just believing that your teammate is going to be there. I think those are the lessons that I learned.
“And that’s what we try to relay now is we can’t wait till we’re (14-14) and now we’re like, ‘Oh, let’s wake up.’ That’s not how we want to be because there’s no guarantee that it’s going to be the same.”
After winning three championships in the past four seasons, the Aces enter this season with the opportunity to cement their status as the latest WNBA dynasty alongside the Houston Comets (1997-2000) and Minnesota Lynx (2011-2017).
Hammon said the trio of Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young is motivated by the chance to leave a legacy and join Houston’s Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson as all-time great WNBA trios.
“They want to be in those conversations,” Hammon said.
The Aces’ starting five entering the season appears set with forwards Stephanie Talbot and NaLyssa Smith joining Wilson, Gray and Young. Smith benefited from her first training camp with the Aces after arriving before the 2025 trade deadline.
With the chance at history as a backdrop to the season, Hammon wants the Aces “locked in and engaged” from the start.
“We definitely have an understanding of the opportunity and what’s in front of us,” Hammon said. “Now it’s going out and executing and putting in the work on a consistent level.”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on X.
