Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 | 2 a.m.
A’ja Wilson described a championship “vibe” when she won a National Title with South Carolina in 2017.
That word has lingered with Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon. Despite the Aces being 65 days away from their season-opening game against the New York Liberty, she can already feel that championship mindset slowly setting in.
“There’s a hunger, there’s a vibe. A’ja (Wilson) referenced Dawn (Staley) that championship teams have a vibe and a feel, and I couldn’t agree more,” Hammon said. “I’m feeling that mindset already, and that’s a good sign.”
On Tuesday, the Aces introduced two of their biggest off-season signings to local media: Jewell Loyd and Elizabeth Kitley. Loyd was acquired in a three-way trade that sent Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Kitley was drafted 24th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft but spent the entirety of last season rehabbing an ACL tear.
While the press conference highlighted Loyd and Kitley’s arrival, the message was one of looking forward and reclaiming a WNBA Championship.
The Aces hope to become the first team to three-pete since 1999, but they were spoiled by the New York Liberty, falling in five games in the semifinal round to the eventual WNBA Champions.
“Something I spoke about last year a lot was just mindset and how I didn’t think we had the appropriate mindset,” Hammon said. “We’re not gonna lack that this year. I’m very confident of that.”
Loyd spoke heavily about how this season was going to be different, not just from the last but from all of her professional seasons. She said that she was ready to be bold and free.
Loyd was a franchise player for the Seattle Storm, drafted first overall in 2015 and spent 10 seasons there. She’s a six-time WNBA All-Star, led the league in scoring in 2023 and has won two WNBA titles. So why did she want to leave?
In December, the WNBA concluded an investigation into the Storm and found no evidence of the coaching staff’s accusations of harassment and bullying. Hours after the investigation ended, Loyd requested a trade.
“This year, I’m able to be fully free, bold, and who I am,” Loyd said. “That’s where I am in my personal journey. I’m excited about that because I think a lot of people think I’m really quiet and laid back and I can be, but at the same time, there’s a lot of sides to me that I think people are gonna see.”
Hammon is struck by Loyd’s hunger, which is similar to the “starving man” mentality Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Wilson all share. Hammon believes that New York had this mentality last season while the Aces did not.
Similar to Hammon’s feeling about a championship vibe, she believes that this group can refind its standard that helped them win back-to-back titles.
“The competitiveness comes from the players,” Hammon said. “I talk about the hungry man versus a starving man. A starving man will eat worms, bugs, whatever they can find. A hungry man says, ‘I’ll eat when I get home.’
“We’ll have that mindset this year, and we didn’t have it last year.”
Kitley has a similar hunger for getting back out on the court. She was one of the biggest stars in college basketball, winning ACC Player of the Year honors three times while she was at Virginia Tech.
While people around her felt sorry for her, Kitley said that she was motivated by the opportunity in front of her.
“I’ve been lucky to be able to observe the people that I’ve been able to watch,” Kitley said. “Going down the list with A’ja (Wilson), Chelsea (Gray), Jackie (Young), just such incredible people to look up to. That’s just a rare experience, and I’m fortunate to have had that. It will help make the transition a lot easier.”
Getting to this point was a task for the Aces front office as they are still without a general manager. The Aces fired general manager Natalie Williams in October and made a “team effort” to sign players during free agency, according to Aces president Nikki Fargas.
When asked about hiring a new general manager, Fargas said it was “status quo.”
Despite all the changes, the Aces believe they have an even better chance of winning a championship than last season.
“I’m super excited about this upcoming season. I mean, I’m, like, giddy about it,” Hammon said. There’s just the vibe. I sense it and feel it.”