Sports
WNBA Finals first look: How the Aces and Mercury match up
LAS VEGAS — Call it the duel in the desert. The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury will meet in the 2025 WNBA Finals.
The franchises, located roughly 300 miles apart, have both won multiple titles but have never met in the championship series before.
The No. 2 seed Aces outlasted the No. 6 seed Indiana Fever 107-98 in overtime Tuesday in Game 5 of their semifinal series. Now they host the Mercury on Friday in Game 1 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Phoenix, the No. 4 seed, eliminated the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx 3-1 on Sunday.
The Aces, led by four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, won WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. The Mercury’s championships were in 2007, 2009 and 2014, all with Diana Taurasi as the team’s star. She retired after last season, and a retooled roster — led by triple-double standout Alyssa Thomas — has Phoenix back in the Finals for the first time since 2021.
The WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven format for the first time, so this could be a history-making series. Here is a breakdown of how the teams match up.
Regular-season series: Las Vegas went 3-1 against Phoenix
June 15: Mercury 76, Aces 70 (at Las Vegas)
June 29: Aces 84, Mercury 81 (at Phoenix)
Aug. 15: Aces 86, Mercury 83 (at Phoenix)
Aug. 21: Aces 83, Mercury 61 (at Las Vegas)
How Phoenix got here
The Mercury lost Game 1 at home in the best-of-three first round and on the road in the best-of-five semifinals, so they’ve proved their mettle away from home and in elimination games.
After a 13-point loss in Game 1 of the semifinals against Minnesota, Phoenix won each of the next three games by single digits, dominating in the fourth quarter in each. In Game 2, the Mercury overcame a 20-point deficit to tie the record for largest road comeback in WNBA playoff history. The Game 3 win at home will most likely be remembered for the controversial final 22 seconds, but also featured another big Mercury finish. In Game 4, Phoenix started cold, trailing by 14 in the first quarter and by 13 entering the final frame, before pulling out the 86-81 victory.
How Las Vegas got here
Las Vegas was .500 at the All-Star break before riding a 16-game winning streak into the playoffs. That hot streak extended to 17 with a Game 1 win in the first round — but then the Aces lost three of their next six postseason games before Tuesday’s overtime win clinched a spot in the Finals. Las Vegas beat Seattle 2-1 in the best-of-three first-round series, then had to go the distance to eliminate No. 6 Indiana in the best-of-five semis.
On Tuesday, Wilson recorded her WNBA-record third career 35-point game in a series-clinching win. The four-time MVP also became the first player with 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a playoff game.
What we’re hearing about the Aces
Considering their long winning streak, Las Vegas was the hottest team coming into the playoffs. But they struggled to close out both of their playoffs series so far.
They were nearly upset by No. 7 seed Seattle in the first round, pulling out a Game 3 victory 74-73. Then it took overtime in Game 5 of the semifinal for them to get past Indiana, despite the Fever being depleted by injury and foul trouble.
This is something to be concerned about going against the Mercury, who seem to be peaking in the playoffs. That said, the Aces have a great deal of WNBA Finals experience to rely upon: Both Chelsea Gray and Wilson have been Finals MVPs for the Aces. Jackie Young also has been a crucial part of Las Vegas’ past championships. Jewell Loyd won two WNBA titles when she was with Seattle.
It took about 2½ months for the Aces to figure themselves out this season. Once they did, they were formidable the rest of the regular season. They now have a few days before the Finals to get a handle on where they’ve fallen short in the playoffs despite advancing, because they can’t have the same kind of lapses against Phoenix. — Michael Voepel
1:18
Phoenix Mercury reach Finals after taking down Minnesota Lynx
The Phoenix Mercury come from behind to beat the Minnesota Lynx in Game 4 to reach the WNBA Finals.
What we’re hearing about the Mercury
Rebuilds usually take years to be successful, but in their first season without Taurasi and Brittney Griner, the franchise’s two former cornerstones, the Mercury are headed back to the Finals for the first time since 2021.
Embracing an underdog mentality has fueled the Mercury throughout the season. Phoenix returned just two players from 2024 — Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack — and is the fifth team in league history to lose at least 70% of its scoring from the previous season (71.3%), according to ESPN Insights. The other four teams all had losing records the following season.
With two of their big three — Copper and Satou Sabally — missing extended time in the regular season because of injury, Phoenix wasn’t fully healthy until late July. At the start of August, Sabally told ESPN she felt her team was playing at 80% of its capability. The Mercury hoped that through the last month of the regular season they’d meld all of their pieces together. They did.
Their rookies — Kathryn Westbeld, Sami Whitcomb and Monique Akoa Makani — were revelations. The addition of DeWanna Bonner in early July provided their bench with needed experience. And their big three have thrived together.
They were underdogs again as they entered the postseason, facing defending champion New York in the first round and this year’s title favorite, Minnesota, in the semifinals. The Mercury are the fourth team in WNBA history to eliminate both teams that participated in the previous year’s Finals within a single postseason. — Kendra Andrews
What is this series’ X factor?
The team whose big three plays the best will win the title.
So often in championship games or series, we look for one unsung hero, one seemingly unforeseen moment that will decide the outcome. This series won’t be that complicated or unpredictable. It will come down to the performances of Wilson, Young and Gray for the Aces and Thomas, Sabally and Copper for the Mercury. Sure, there might be a big Sami Whitcomb 3-pointer, or a stretch where Dana Evans supplies the Aces some extra energy — but this is about the stars.
Their impact was on display in both Las Vegas’ and Phoenix’s semifinal close-out games. Wilson (35), Young (32) and Gray (17) combined for 84 of the Aces’ 107 points; Thomas (23), Sabally (21) and Copper (13) were the Mercury’s three leading scorers in their comeback win over Minnesota in Game 4. The advantage will go to the trio that separates itself, even if it’s by a small margin.
Throw out the first time these teams met in the regular season (a Mercury win) because Wilson did not play. In the final three meetings, the MVP was the best player on the floor, averaging 25.0 points. Young scored in double digits in each of those games and Gray had at least nine. Conversely, in one Phoenix loss, Sabally had just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting. In the most recent matchup, Copper had just six points. Las Vegas won all three of those games. The Aces will win their third title in four years if that recent history repeats itself. — Charlie Creme
How big is Phoenix’s rest advantage after Las Vegas had to go to overtime to win Game 5 on Tuesday?
I don’t think it will be much of a factor. Las Vegas will still get two full days off without any travel. While the Aces will sleep well after going the distance against the Fever, they will be doing it in their own beds. Even with the extra two days to prep, the Mercury still had to wait to find out their opponent. The rest might help a little, but 48 more hours at this time of year probably means little. Adrenaline is overcoming any fatigue for most of these players, and both teams have all their regular rotations fully healthy heading into the best-of-seven series. — Creme
How they match up
While only two players returned from last season’s Mercury team (Copper and Mack), the Aces have six players back from last season, and five of them — Wilson, Gray, Young, Kiah Stokes and Kierstan Bell — were also on Las Vegas’ 2022 and 2023 title teams.
During the regular season, the Aces and Mercury were close to each other in categories such as scoring average (83.6 and 82.8), net rating (plus-3.7 and plus-3.4) and effective field goal percentage (50.6 and 50.2). Same for 3-pointers per game, although the Mercury had the slight edge there with 9.4 to the Aces’ 9.1.
There was a little more separation with defensive rating, as the Mercury were at 102.5 and the Aces 104.4. In the past, the Aces have been a better defensive team than they have been this year, but Las Vegas has improved in that area since its season turnaround began in early August.
As for the teams’ two biggest stars, Wilson and Thomas have faced off 26 times in their WNBA careers, counting both regular season and playoffs. Wilson has a 17-9 edge overall, 6-3 in the playoffs. Wilson has averaged 21.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in those playoff matchups against Thomas, who has averaged 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
The teams’ coaches, Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon and Phoenix’s Nate Tibbetts, both spent several years as NBA assistants before taking over as WNBA head coaches. Hammon was a San Antonio Spurs assistant from 2014-2022, and Tibbetts was an assistant from 2011-2023 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. — Voepel
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his call for Congress to pass legislation that would rein in college sports at a time athletes are allowed to move freely from school to school and command salaries that put athletic departments in financial peril.
Trump’s remarks came at a White House event honoring some 100 athletes from seven teams that won NCAA championships in 2025.
Trump this month signed an executive order that would limit eligibility to five years, allow one transfer without penalty for undergraduates, stop pay-for-play schemes and build in protections for women’s and Olympic sports.
Aspects of the executive order might not withstand legal scrutiny, which is why Trump and some college sports stakeholders are asking for federal legislation that would codify restrictions and grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption to enforce rules.
Dozens of athletes have challenged NCAA eligibility rules with the hope of extending their college careers and, in turn, their ability to earn money through name, image and likeness deals. He said it’s unfair for athletes right out of high school to compete against 28- or 29-year-olds.
“It’s a very precarious position the courts have left us in,” Trump said, adding that the 2025 settlement of House v. the NCAA created a professional model that has led to financial instability for colleges. “And now it’s a total and complete mess. But we’re going to get it fixed up and we’ve got fantastic people doing it. So we need now Congress to act to clear up the confusion created by the courts and institute permanent reforms to protect college sports at every level, especially some sports.”
The national championship teams honored were Oklahoma State in men’s golf, Texas A&M in women’s volleyball, Wake Forest in men’s tennis, Georgia in women’s tennis, Youngstown State in women’s bowling, Florida State in women’s soccer and West Virginia in mixed rifle.
“Seventy-five percent of Olympians competing for Team USA played as college athletes,” Trump said. “If we don’t straighten out this, we’re not going to have much of an Olympic team because you have so many of these sports, especially certain sports where it’s like the minor leagues, call it the major leagues, whatever you want. But we’ve trained unbelievable athletes to go in and win the gold medal. Without college sports and without your ability to go into college sports and compete and learn how to play and get better, we’re not going to have much of an Olympic team anymore.”
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Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.
On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.
“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.
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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)
Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.
“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.
Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.
NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.
Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)
Manning struck a measured tone in February when discussing his Hall of Fame chances.
“If I never get in the Hall of Fame, it’s not going to change anything,” Manning told Forbes. “I’m not gonna be bitter or mad or upset, and if I do get in, it would just be an unbelievable honor to be associated with some of the great athletes and football players ever. But it’s not going to change my outlook or my approach to how I feel about the game of football.”
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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.
The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.
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Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell has committed to Duke, he told ESPN on Tuesday.
Blackwell, who visited Duke on Monday, was the best guard to enter the transfer portal this spring.
“It just felt right,” Blackwell told ESPN. “It felt like the right situation for me. I just connected with Coach [Jon Scheyer] on a different level. We built a connection in these past weeks of just talking to him and him selling why Duke is the right spot for me. Me taking this visit was just confirmation on why I should be at Duke.”
Blackwell, a 6-foot-4 guard, earned third-team All-Big Ten honors this past season after averaging a career-high 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting nearly 39% from 3-point range.
He was at his best in the postseason. Blackwell had 34 points and 10 rebounds in the third round of the Big Ten tournament against Washington, following it with 31 points on 9-for-17 shooting in an overtime win over Illinois. While Wisconsin was upset by 12-seed High Point in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament, Blackwell finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Panthers.
Blackwell, who is represented by Todd Ramasar and Alexis Liatsos at Life Sports Agency, will have the opportunity to carry that momentum over to Duke.
“Their pitch to me was, come here, have freedom,” Blackwell said. “You can come here and be a draft pick, and that’s always my dream. Come here and help us win a national championship. Those are just things I love to hear. I love the campus, I love the people surrounding Duke. That’s why I made my choice to be a Blue Devil.”
Blackwell, who is still going through the NBA draft process, is joining a backcourt that includes returnees Caleb Foster (8.3 PPG) and Cayden Boozer (7.7 PPG), as well as five-star recruit Deron Rippey Jr. The junior guard said when he entered the portal that he wants to show more on-ball responsibility, meaning Scheyer will have plenty of options as playmakers next season.
“They have four PGs. I would consider myself a point guard,” Blackwell said. “We’re just going to push each other everyday. [When you] have a deep backcourt like we’re going to have, it’s going to be a matchup nightmare for teams. I’m just so excited to play with those guys and challenge those guys. And they challenge me every single day.”
Scheyer has been reloading his roster since last month’s Elite Eight loss to UConn. Projected top-five pick Cameron Boozer is out the door, with projected first-rounder Isaiah Evans expected to follow. Maliq Brown is out of eligibility and freshman Nikolas Khamenia entered the portal and transferred to UConn.
But Duke received positive news on Monday with the return of honorable mention All-ACC big man Patrick Ngongba II, while Cayden Boozer, Foster and potentially Dame Sarr are also likely to return to Durham.
The Blue Devils are also bringing in the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, led by three top-25 seniors, and added Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski this past weekend.
But Scheyer desperately needed a high-level scorer to round out his roster, an experienced bucket-getter to lead the offense. And he landed the best one on the market in Blackwell.
“Their track record with producing pros definitely played a part in it,” he said. “Not so much with them producing pros, but them developing pros. I don’t think at any other school, there’s only a few, where you can get that certain level of development. That’s major for me.”
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