WNBA FINALS: LAS VEGAS VS. PHOENIX

October 10, 2025

Becky Hammon

A'ja Wilson

Chelsea Gray

Jackie Young

Jewell Loyd

Las Vegas Aces

Game 4: Postgame

Aces 97, Mercury 86

Q. Becky has just been so effusive in her praise of you guys over the course of the season. I'm wondering after three titles in her first Four Seasons as a head coach, what do you think about the standard Becky is setting?

A'JA WILSON: Anybody?

Q. Anybody, but I guess you have two mics.

A'JA WILSON: Becky has done tremendous things for this franchise. It's not just her basketball mind, it's the way that she can like form relationships and bonds with people, and I think that's when you see winning cultures is when your leader is so poured into you. You want to win and play for her.

We're grateful obviously. You keep bringing championships to Vegas. We're just happy to be on the ride with you.

Q. A'ja, Chelsea, or Jackie, the journey hasn't been the same the first two times, 2022. Obviously the first one, '23, go on the run, go back to back. Three months ago, you all were at .500 and go on the run the way you did. A'ja, I hope you're doing all right. What was sweeter about this one compared to the other two?

CHELSEA GRAY: The journey, you said it. To be here right now from where we were in May and June, there were a lot of doubt besides in that locker room. We had confidence in each other. These two.

So I'm just really proud of how we stayed the course, and we trusted the process the entire time.

Q. A'ja, can you tell us about the tambourine and share the first thoughts that kind of went through your mind after the buzzer.

A'JA WILSON: Our amazing trainer Jerrica (Thomas) got this tambourine for us. You know me, I'm a Southern girl, and in the Baptist church (rattles tambourine). When you heard that, you knew the word was powerful.

I think this is just letting everybody know the word was powerful for us today in this whole season. God has been over us this whole time. One thing about God is you've got to be patient. You have to be patient. When you're patient and you give Him all your burdens, good things happen. Good things happen to the right people.

That's what you see in this locker room today. This tambourine, and I know everybody's laughing that it's funny, and it is funny and it's cute and it's pink, but this is a symbol of just the joyfulness we have right now, and I'm grateful to be with this bunch. That ain't the alcohol talking.

Q. A'ja, a lot of people have been comparing you to Michael Jordan.

A'JA WILSON: Oh!

Q. Yes, ma'am. You've got to check online. They are comparing you to Michael Jordan. They're saying you're the MJ of the WNBA. How do you feel about that?

A'JA WILSON: It's powerful, it really is. I still have a little more winning to do before you put me in the conversation with him, but when you're compared to greats, when you're compared to legends, that means you're doing something right, and I am so grateful.

But I would never be who I am without my teammates. They are the true MJs. They make coming into work really, really good. So I'm appreciative of that.

Q. Becky, I have to ask, was there any video created ahead of time for tonight's game?

A'JA WILSON: It was good today.

CHELSEA GRAY: It was good. They did their thing.

BECKY HAMMON: There was. A tiny bit.

Q. Can you tell me about it, please?

BECKY HAMMON: Yeah, we watched a little bit of Phoenix. Just some reminders.

CHELSEA GRAY: Where's Cayden?

A'JA WILSON: Cayden, come on. Don't let Sam sit up here by himself. You guys can share a seat. Go ahead.

BECKY HAMMON: He's the shyer one.

So we had a little bit of reminding film about Phoenix and our incredible documentary person, Katie Morgan -- there she is. She just has a way of storytelling, and we had a conversation, and I kind of gave her some themes and some buzzwords, and she put together a film -- another film that hit -- she actually did the other one midseason. Remember the midseason one that I kept showing?

A'JA WILSON: Yeah.

BECKY HAMMON: That one she did too. Anyways, yeah, there was one, and it was good. It was just reminding them of the journey and the people.

This group especially, these three --

A'JA WILSON: Don't start.

CHELSEA GRAY: Come on, man.

A'JA WILSON: Peek over. Peek over.

BECKY HAMMON: I can't peek. Put it up.

I love being their coach. I love being their coach. I love being their friend. I love being a phone call for them. I love pushing them, probably sometimes to their disliking a little bit, but I'm invested in their greatness and getting that out of them every day.

I know I've shared tears with all of them along this journey, especially this year. This one hits different because it was different. There was probably a lot more adversity than any of us anticipated, and at the end of the day, we're all human, but we're humans that wanted to get it right and get it right together.

They're stuck with me. I mean, wherever they go, they're going to be stuck with me. I just believe in who they are. I admire who they are.

CHELSEA GRAY: Incoming.

BECKY HAMMON: There's another one.

The buckle-down factor they had on the basketball court, you want to take them to dinner. You want to just hang out. They're really quality people with a really great support system around them, and I'm just happy to be part of that in their journeys.

Like I said, this group especially has kind of -- they know the back stories of a lot of stuff that we'll probably never talk about, things that have happened, and these are the ones that stuck.

Q. A'ja, this question is for you. I had the chance to interview you last year, and I asked you to define what greatness is, and you said to me, "I want to put up banners. I want championships." And now you have that, plural. So I want to ask you, how do you redefine greatness now that you've actually redefined it?

A'JA WILSON: That's a good question. You should have asked me that pregame.

Obviously I would still banners, but I think greatness is --

BECKY HAMMON: A'ja Wilson.

A'JA WILSON: It's who you're around. This is greatness. This group here, we were battle tested, top to bottom battle tested. We showed up every single day with a mind of being great. Becky gives us note cards, and we write on them exactly what we want our goals to be, individually and team. And this year she gave us a plan as well.

(Players interrupting).

I'm trying to be good right now. Our team, you talk about greatness. Greatness is, like I said, just being patient, waiting on your turn, waiting on your moment. I think that's what defines us is you've got to be great when the lights aren't on you. You've got to be great when nobody's in the gym with you. You've got to be great when you may not get anything on the end.

That is what greatness is to me because that is consistency and that is just you doing the right things because it's right. So I think that's how I would redefine it, and I think that's what you saw in this group. We had times where it was tested, battle tested, but like our plants, we just needed to grow with a little bit more sunshine, a little bit more water. And we also had a plan if we kept it alive. That's why they're over here chatting.

CHELSEA GRAY: Yes, sir. Pay me in cash.

A'JA WILSON: So that is how you define greatness to me.

Q. Becky and Chelsea. Chelsea, would you consider you all a dynasty? Becky, given that you know a little bit more of the history of the league, where would you rank this group compared with the Comets, the Lynx, and some of the other great teams.

BECKY HAMMON: Houston was amazing. Obviously they beat my team a quite a few times for those championships. They kind of had a jump on the league. Obviously not very many people knew about Cynthia Cooper, who was a dog and an MVP. You kind of knew about Sheryl Swoopes because in '93 she won the national championship. Tina Thompson you kind of knew but you didn't know a lot about Janeth Arcain, and some of the other pieces they had. They had a legit big four, that's what they ran with, and we got a big four too.

I will say this, I played against the Minnesota Lynx teams, and they had their run, which was unbelievable. I just think the evolving of the game -- I left the game in '14 -- these players are bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled than it was ten years ago. I think those guys who laid the ground work showed how winning should be done and really gave a lot to the WNBA.

So far as like history, it's really great to talk about it, but the skill set and the level that these guys are at, to me it's not comparable. Just like if you look at basketball in the NBA in the '80s and you look at it now, the evolvement -- and it's a natural evolvement. That's the sign of any great league is that it doesn't stay the same. It gets better and better and better.

I think these ladies are at the top of the game, and it is the best basketball that the W has ever seen from top to bottom. You have rookies coming in like Paige and Caitlin and Angel and all of them, and they're ready now to compete. So I just think the quality from top to bottom -- that's why we're adding so many teams, right? There's a lot of really great players.

These guys are elite skill set. I try to describe them to my new assistants in the NBA, and until they got up close and personal -- wait until you work them out. Wait until you see how they shoot. Wait until you see. And you could put them on the line with anybody.

CHELSEA GRAY: Yes. Short answer, yes.

BECKY HAMMON: You got a history lesson.

CHELSEA GRAY: Yes.

Q. Jewell, this is for you. After you all won just now on the court, I saw Becky sort of grabbed you, hugged you, rocked you back and forth for maybe 20 seconds and was holding you and you seemed to get emotional afterwards. I guess I'm just curious what was that moment like for you, especially when you think about where you were a year ago and just that whole story arc?

JEWELL LOYD: Yeah, I definitely cried in that moment. Becky was definitely the first person that believed in me from the start. I was kind of written off in exile, but I ended up in the promised land.

A'JA WILSON: Ooh! (Rattles tambourine) (laughter).

JEWELL LOYD: Yeah, that's all I got.

Q. My question is for A'ja. First part, have you spoken to Dawn (Staley) yet? Second part, following up to what Becky said in her answer about the legends who paved the way, I noticed during the series Sheryl Swoopes was front and center, 22 to 22. Did she give you any advice during this series, and what's it like to be coached by a legendary coach like Becky Hammon as well?

A'JA WILSON: First of all, I don't know where my phones are. Coach Staley definitely has hit me. She has probably hit me at halftime. But I don't know where my phones are.

Yes, Sheryl has been in my ear. The most powerful thing she honestly said to me is I'm the best player in the world. When you have somebody like that say that to you, you have no choice but to be the best. You have no choice but to want greatness out of yourself. She's constantly in my ear reminding me that.

Sometimes when the days get hard and like it's just not your day, sometimes you've got to get reminders. People don't think about people that are just like, oh, the superstars or, oh, these big names. Sometimes we need reminders because it does get hard. When you have a legend, someone like that reminding you, it's truly amazing.

Oh, Becky? Come on now, I get to go to work with her every single day. Becky is the first one to make me smile, and I'm not a morning girl at all. (Laughter). I am not a morning girl at all, but Becky makes me smile every single day. When your boss is someone like that, it makes coming into work that much better.

Having them in my ear, oh, I know I'm covered. I know I'm good.

Q. Chelsea, this is your third championship alongside Jackie and A'ja. How would you describe the legacy of this trio?

CHELSEA GRAY: That's a good one. It's been pretty cool to see like the evolution and how great they have become since I've been here. I knew I was going to play with some dynamic players, some players that were going to transform the game of basketball, and we all had a common goal of winning. We'd talk about A'ja being the best player in the world and what she's been able to do, not just offensively, but defensively, and I think there's a lot more time to talk about Jackie Young as well and what she's been able to do and how she's transformed -- what? She over here doing sign language. Sorry.

Jackie Young has -- and she's leaving. Jackie Young has transformed the guard position as well, what she's been able to do offensively and defensively has been amazing. She's made a name for herself in this league, and it's just been beautiful to see and be a part of.

A'JA WILSON: The parade is October 17th, Friday.

JACKIE YOUNG: Jackie Young. Looking forward to it.

A'JA WILSON: I don't know who I want to see. Beyoncé would be great.

Q. Last question, so I'm going to condense it. We obviously watched and listened as Commissioner Cathy Engelbert took a lot of boos as you guys were presented the trophy. We saw this phenomenal performance from this franchise. What does this all say about your guys' value, how your fans see your value, and also how Cathy Engelbert is being perceived as well in this CBA negotiation?

CHELSEA GRAY: When you have great players, you need to treat them like that, and that's top to bottom.

A'JA WILSON: (Rattles tambourine).

CHELSEA GRAY: Top to bottom. When you have great players, you need to treat them like that. There's been a lot of eyes on this league, and everybody's stepping up to the plate and putting on performances that's legendary. You have legends that you guys get to witness every single day.

So when you have a league full of people like that, it needs to be treated as such. That's payment. That's treatment. That's revenue share. That's everything. That's a bigger conversation. We'll be here for a long time.

But when you have players like that at the forefront of change, you have to pay them like that, you have to value them like that because there's no league without the players.

A'JA WILSON: (Rattles tambourine).