Congratulating the Las Vegas Aces

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate the Las Vegas Aces on winning the Women's National Basketball Association Championship this past Sunday.

On September 18, 2022, the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun 78-71 in game four of the WNBA finals. The Aces won the championship three games to one and secured the first major professional sports championship in the history of the city of Las Vegas.

Even before the playoffs, the Aces had an incredible season led by rookie head coach Becky Hammon, who became the first former NBA player and rookie head coach to win the NBA championship.

Every member of the team, including Kiersten Bell, Sydney Colson, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Theresa Plaisance, Kelsey Plum, Iliana Rupert, Aisha Sheppard, Kiah Stokes, Riquna Williams, A'ja Wilson, and Jackie Young was critical to the success of the Aces this year.

Since coming to Las Vegas in 2018, the Aces have played well, but, unfortunately, up until now they were unable to win at all.

In 2020, during the COVID-shortened season and without key players due to injury, the team still made the WNBA finals but were ultimately turned back.

In 2021, the team was set for greatness, but, unfortunately, fell short in heartbreaking fashion in game five of the Western Conference Finals.

In the lead-up to the 2022 season, the team lost key players to free agency, and former coach Bill Laimbeer retired, but the organization shifted its focus and approach and took the league by storm.

Led by prolific three-point shooting, the Aces dominated the regular season and ended with a league best record of 26-10, securing the Commissioner's Cup along the way.

Heading into the playoffs, the team was primed for success.

Led by forward A'ja Wilson, who won this year's regular season Most Valuable Player, also Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All- WNBA honors, fellow All-WNBA honors guard Kelsey Plum, and WNBA Most Improved Player Jackie Young, the Las Vegas Aces dominated the playoffs.

In the finals, Chelsea Gray delivered a tremendous performance, averaging 18 points per game in the series and winning the WNBA finals Most Valuable Player. In the championship-clinching game, Riquna Williams scored a crucial 17 points, with her incredible three-point shooting, to lift the Aces to victory.

Following this victory, Aces players Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and A'ja Wilson, who competed and won gold medals for the United States in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, joined an exclusive club of players who won both Olympic gold and the WNBA championship.

In closing, I congratulate owner Mark Davis who, through continued investment and caring, has put women's basketball on the map in Las Vegas; Coach Becky Hammon; all the amazing players, led by the A'ja Wilson; and the entire Las Vegas organization led by its president, Nikki Fargas, and general manager, Natalie Williams. Congratulations on this tremendous achievement.

The city of Las Vegas and all of southern Nevada are extremely proud of the Aces. They certainly raised the stakes and hit the jackpot.

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