Las Vegas Aces: The Next WNBA Dynasty?
After the Las Vegas Aces‘ victory in their third WNBA championship in four seasons, the debate centers on whether this team has cemented its status as the league’s next dynasty. We analyze where this Aces team ranks among the 29 WNBA champions. It’s no easy feat. The Aces’ 2025 season showed a great disparity between their worst and best performances. Perhaps no other team in league history has reversed its fortunes so dramatically, going from a 14-14 record after a 53-point loss on August 2nd, to sweeping the WNBA Finals 4-0 on October 10th. The Aces finished the regular season with a 16-game winning streak, but their playoff run was full of drama. They were close to being eliminated in the first round, winning the decisive Game 3 by one point against Seattle. In addition, they needed overtime in Game 5 of the semifinals against Indiana. Games 1 and 3 of the Finals against Phoenix were decided by a combined total of five points. All of this explains why the 2025 Aces are not among the top 10 teams, unlike their 2022 and 2023 champion predecessors. One of the biggest challenges in compiling this list is classifying the champions who belong to the same franchise and are mostly made up of the same players. An attempt has been made to differentiate these teams. There is more than one way to evaluate teams. Different ranking models have been used, including analysis of league coaches and players, as well as subjectivity. Champions from 1 to 29 are evaluated using a statistical model similar to the one used to determine the best NBA teams.In the end, being at the bottom of these rankings isn’t very different from being at the top. They are all champions.
1. Las Vegas Aces (2023)
Regular season and playoffs record: 34-6, 8-1.They defeated New York Liberty 3-1 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 2. RS Differential: +12.6 (3rd among champions) PO Rating: +20.3 (2nd among champions) Rating: +13.7 (1st among champions). As good as they were in winning the 2022 championship, the Aces were even better in 2023. They ranked first in scoring and defense during the regular season and only stumbled once in the playoffs, in Game 3 of the Finals. A’ja Wilson earned her first WNBA Finals MVP award for her performance in 2023; she won it again in the 2025 Finals. In Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young, the Aces also had a trio of guards who were among the best in league history. Candace Parker, a player signed as a free agent who was expected to be an important part of the Aces’ title run in 2023, was sidelined by foot surgery in July. The Aces also lost starters Gray and Kiah Stokes before Game 4 and still won the title, demonstrating how good the team’s chemistry was. Las Vegas’ bench, then led by Alysha Clark, Cayla George, Sydney Colson, and Kierstan Bell, stepped up when they were most needed.2. Houston Comets (2000)
Regular season and playoffs record: 27-5, 6-0.They defeated New York Liberty 2-0 in the Finals.Pelton’s overall rating: 3. RS Differential: +12.8.5 (1st) PO Rating: +14.2 (8th) Rating: +13.0 (3rd). This was the last of the four consecutive teams that won the title for Houston, the end of the “Camelot” version of the Comets. In 2000, the WNBA had 16 teams and most of the former ABL players were in their second year in the league. Sheryl Swoopes won her first of three MVP awards and Cynthia Cooper, two-time MVP, played her last full season at 37 years old. As happened with the other Houston champion teams, the stars carried them: Swoopes and Cooper averaged 35 minutes per game, Tina Thompson 34, and Janeth Arcain 30.5. The fifth starter, Tiffani Johnson (22.2), was the only other player who averaged at least 20 minutes per game. With three future Hall of Famers (Cooper, Swoopes, Thompson), Houston didn’t need much statistically from its reserves. The Comets’ bench players knew their roles, and the team knew how to win. This title ended the dynasty, but what a finish! The Comets were not the first seed in the playoffs. Despite the best differential in league history, Houston finished one game behind the Sparks, with a 28-4 record, before sweeping Los Angeles in the best-of-three conference finals. Five of the Comets’ six playoff victories were by eight points or less, but the three opponents had a 20-12 or better record during a year in which the league expanded with four teams.
3. Seattle Storm (2020)
Regular season and playoffs record: 18-4, 6-0.They defeated Las Vegas Aces 3-0 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 1. Differential RS: +11.5 (5th) Rating PO: +21.5 (1st) Rating: +13.7 (1st). By bringing back the same core that won the 2018 title in a bubble season marked by the absence of several stars, the Storm entered 2020 as heavy favorites. Seattle was not the first seed in the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker to Las Vegas, but dominated with veteran point guard Sue Bird back in the lineup. After a COVID-19 scare postponed their inaugural semifinal game, the Storm never looked back, going 6-0 in the playoffs with five of the six wins by double digits, including a 33-point thrashing to close out the Aces. Bird, part of the four title teams of the Storm, has reflected on which one was “the best.” Lauren Jackson was the superstar of the Storm’s title teams of 2004 and 2010; her counterpart in 2018 and 2020 was Breanna Stewart. Bird says the advantage goes to the 2018 and 2020 teams, which are very similar in their construction, due to the presence of point guard Jewell Loyd. Bird then gives a nod to the depth and overall chemistry of the 2020 Storm, who were first in the league in offensive and defensive rating. “The way we shot from 3, the way we moved the ball, if they took something away, we just kept moving it,” Bird said. “We talked before every game that we were going to wear teams down with the pace we played.”
4. Minnesota Lynx (2013)
Regular season and playoffs record: 26-8, 7-0.They defeated Atlanta Dream 3-0 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 8. RS Differential: +9.4 (8th) PO Rating: +15.2 (4th) Rating: +10.4 (8th).This was the second of the Lynx’s four titles in a span of seven seasons. They didn’t have the best regular season record among the Lynx champions; both 2011 and 2017 had a 27-7 record (and the 2016 runners-up had a 28-6 record). But coach Cheryl Reeve said that the franchise’s “core four” (Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, and Lindsay Whalen) was near the peak of their collective powers in 2013. They all averaged double figures in scoring, led by Moore’s 18.5 PPG. The fifth starter was Janel McCarville, Whalen’s former teammate at the University of Minnesota, and that pairing excited Gophers fans again.
In 2012, Minnesota lost 3-1 in the Finals to Indiana, which upset the Lynx because they were five games ahead of the Fever in the regular season standings. The 2013 team didn’t allow any openings in the playoffs, sweeping Seattle, Phoenix, and Atlanta.This Lynx championship team was the best in the league from start to finish, sweeping their way to a title with the best playoff point differential in history (+15.4 PPG). We were denied playoff matchups against either of the other two teams that won at least 20 games during the regular season because both Chicago and Los Angeles were defeated earlier in the postseason.
5. Houston Comets (1998)
Regular season and playoffs record: 27-3, 4-1.They defeated Phoenix Mercury 2-1 in the Finals.Pelton’s overall rating: 4. RS Differential: +12.6 (2nd) PO Rating: +13.3 (9th) Rating: +12.7 (4th). After winning the inaugural WNBA championship with limited contributions from Swoopes, who played only nine games after giving birth to her son, Jordan, and did not score in the 1997 playoffs, the Comets reunited a prime Swoopes with reigning MVP Cooper and second-year forward Thompson. The result was a 27-3 record, still the best winning percentage in league history. Houston’s playoff qualification isn’t as strong because the Comets faced a Phoenix Mercury team with a 19-11 record in the best-of-three Finals. Cooper said that if he had to choose only one champion team of the Comets as his favorite, it would be this one. As Kevin pointed out, the team’s .900 winning percentage is still the best in WNBA history. Swoopes was second on the team in scoring with 15.6 PPG compared to Cooper’s 22.7. Cooper won his second consecutive MVP award; she was the Finals MVP for all four championship teams. And there’s another reason why this team is dear to Cooper’s heart. Her close friend, Kim Perrot, the Comets’ point guard, averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 assists in what would be her final season in the WNBA. Perrot scored 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the victory that secured the title over the Mercury. Five months later, she was diagnosed with cancer and died in August 1999 at age 32.6. Phoenix Mercury (2014)
Regular season and playoffs record: 29-5, 7-1.They defeated Chicago Sky 3-0 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 7. RS Differential: +9.4 (7th) PO Rating: +14.6 (5th) Rating: +10.4 (7th). In the midst of the Lynx dynasty from 2011 to 2017, the Mercury owned this season. Their 29 wins are a WNBA record, and they were first in offensive and defensive rating. The five starters (Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Candice Dupree, Penny Taylor, and DeWanna Bonner) averaged double figures in scoring. Their only playoff loss was to Minnesota in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, but they bounced back to win the series with an 18-point victory in Game 3. In the WNBA Finals, Chicago didn’t stand a chance. Taurasi, who averaged 16.2 PPG in the regular season and 21.9 PPG in the playoffs, was the WNBA Finals MVP for the second time.The 2014 Phoenix team still holds the best winning percentage for any team outside of the expansion era. Relative to that record, the Mercury’s +9.5 differential wasn’t especially dominant, the reason Phoenix falls outside the top five in my rankings. In the playoffs, Phoenix was outstanding, defeating the defending champion Lynx 2-1 in the conference finals and sweeping a 15-19 Chicago team in the Finals by an average of 18.3 PPG.
7. Minnesota Lynx (2017)
Regular season and playoffs record: 27-7, 6-2.They defeated Los Angeles Sparks 3-2 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 5. RS Differential: +11.1 (6th) PO Rating: +11.9 (12th) Rating: +11.3 (5th). The top-seeded of the Lynx’s four title teams in my model fully integrated Sylvia Fowles, who won MVP and Finals MVP, into the core of the team that had already won three championships in the previous six years. After sweeping Washington in the semifinals, Minnesota rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win a Finals rematch against the Sparks in five games. Minnesota was still reeling from a Finals loss of 3-2 to Los Angeles in 2016, and the teams were archrivals again in 2017. Minnesota was first in the league in offensive and defensive rating and Los Angeles was second in both. The Target Center was being renovated, so the Lynx’s home games in the 2017 playoffs were at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena, where Whalen had played in college. The decisive Game 5 victory by 85-76 came in a packed and noisy Williams, and Fowles was the Finals MVP for the second time (also won in 2015).
8. Washington Mystics (2019)
Regular season and playoffs record: 26-8, 6-3.They defeated Connecticut Sun 3-2 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 6. RS Differential: +12.0 (4th) PO Rating: +5.1 (25th) Rating: +10.6 (6th). In comparison to a regular season in which the Mystics won a record 13 games by more than 20 points, four more than any other team in league history, their playoff run was hard work. Washington edged Las Vegas by just one point in a close semifinal victory in four games, then needed the full five games to beat Connecticut in a classic Finals. A formula that puts more emphasis on the playoffs would leave the Mystics in the statistical rankings. Elena Delle Donne said this was the best team she had ever played on: “Not just in terms of talent, but in the way we were so emotionally and mentally in sync with each other. That’s what took us to the next level.” The Mystics also overcame a back injury that hampered Delle Donne during the Finals and has affected her career since then. Delle Donne was the MVP in 2019, but her teammate Emma Meesseman was the Finals MVP, averaging 17.8 points in the championship series.9. Las Vegas Aces (2022)
Regular season and playoffs record: 26-10, 8-2.They defeated Connecticut Sun 3-1 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 16. RS Differential: +6.4 (17th) PO Rating: +11.0 (14th) Rating: +7.4 (16th). The 2022 Aces faced more challenges in the regular season than the 2023 Las Vegas version. But in the playoffs, they were in control as the best team in the league. In coach Becky Hammon’s first season with the franchise, the Aces changed their style of play (three-pointers became a much more important part of the offense) and Plum and Young matured into even better players. Wilson won her second regular season MVP award and was Defensive Player of the Year. Then, Gray was on fire during the playoffs, winning Finals MVP. It was a great achievement for a franchise that began when the league did in 1997, in Utah, moved to San Antonio, and then found its championship home in Las Vegas under the ownership of Mark Davis. He paid a large sum to bring Hammon from the NBA, where she was an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs, and it was a great investment.10. Houston Comets (1999)
Regular season and playoffs record: 26-6, 4-2.They defeated New York Liberty 2-1 in the Finals.Pelton’s overall ranking: 9. RS Differential: +9.3 (9th) PO Rating: +11.1 (13th) Rating: +9.6 (9th). In contrast to the Houston championship teams before and after, the Comets with a 26-6 record would seem unspectacular. Houston was on the verge of sweeping the playoffs with Teresa Weatherspoon’s unforgettable buzzer-beater and returned to finish off New York in Game 3 of the Finals, in which the winner takes all, to lift the trophy for the third time. In 1999, almost all the prominent former ABL players had made the transition and strengthened the WNBA. That didn’t stop the Comets, who added former ABL player Sonja Henning at the point guard position. Houston’s standouts were the same as in 1998: Cooper, Swoopes, and Thompson. Bulgarian center Polina Tzekova, then 31 years old, made the most of her only season in the WNBA, starting in all of Houston’s games in 1999. Ultimately, the 1999 championship had a melancholic atmosphere for the Comets. Their former point guard Perrot died of cancer on August 19. On September 5, Houston secured “3 for 10”, their motto in winning their third title in honor of Perrot, who wore the number 10.11. New York Liberty (2024)
Regular season and playoffs record: 32-8, 8-3.They defeated Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 11. RS Differential: +9.2 (10th among champions) PO Rating: +9.4 (19th among champions) Rating: +9.2 (11th among champions). 27 years have passed since the Liberty launched as an original WNBA franchise in 1997, but New York finally achieved its first championship. After finishing with the league’s best record, the Liberty defeated the defending champion Las Vegas in the semifinals and then avenged a Commissioner’s Cup final loss to Minnesota in the Finals.The decisive Game 5 against the Lynx nearly extended the Liberty’s long postseason anguish. But a late foul (still disputed by Minnesota) sent Breanna Stewart to the free-throw line. She scored the tying points to send the game to overtime, where New York prevailed 67-62.
Jonquel Jones won the Finals MVP award, securing her first title. Sabrina Ionescu also won the championship for the first time. It was the third title for Stewart, who won two championships in Seattle.
12. Los Angeles Sparks (2001)
Regular season and playoffs record: 28-4, 6-1.They defeated Charlotte Sting 2-0 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 10. RS Differential: +8.6 (11th) PO Rating: +12.4 (10th) Rating: +9.3 (10th). After being denied by the Comets a year earlier, the Sparks became the first champion team other than Houston in the league’s fifth season. Los Angeles matched the previous season’s 28-4 record with a slightly better point differential. The Sparks followed their only playoff loss, by one point to the Sacramento Monarchs in the conference finals, with three wins by at least 20 points in their last four postseason games. The Sparks learned a lot by facing Houston for four seasons before achieving their breakthrough to the championship. Los Angeles star Lisa Leslie has joked: “Thank God Coop retired”, referring to Houston’s Cooper ending her playing career after the 2000 season (she returned for four games in 2003 at age 40). Leslie, Mwadi Mabika, Tamecka Dixon, and DeLisha Milton-Jones averaged double figures during this title run. Leslie was the MVP of the season and the Finals.13. Minnesota Lynx (2011)
Regular season and playoffs record: 27-7, 7-1.They defeated Atlanta Dream 3-0 in the Finals.Pelton’s Overall Ranking: 11. RS Differential: +7.9 (13th) PO Rating: +12.3 (11th) Rating: +8.7 (12th). In 2010, Minnesota got a new coach (Reeve) and also added Whalen (transfer) and Brunson (Sacramento dispersal draft). The following year brought the inaugural championship of the Lynx dynasty, as number 1, Moore, was Rookie of the Year. Moore, 22, started alongside Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who turned 41 two weeks after the Finals ended. This Lynx team really spanned the age/experience range. The season also brought well-deserved attention to Augustus, who became the original building block of the dynasty when she was selected at number 1 in 2006. She led the 2011 Lynx in scoring in the regular season (16.2) and in the playoffs (22.0) and was the Finals MVP. The first Lynx title winner was announced as a contender by winning six more games than any other team during the regular season. After a close 2-1 victory in the first round over the San Antonio Silver Stars, Minnesota swept the next two rounds on their way to the championship.14. Los Angeles Sparks (2016)
Regular season and playoffs record: 26-8, 6-3.They defeated Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in the Finals.Cla
