LAS VEGAS (August 14, 2023)—While the rest of the WNBA takes a brief respite, the top two teams in the league will be battling for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Tuesday when the Las Vegas Aces (27-3) host the New York Liberty (24-6) at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tip is slated for 6 pm PT, and the game is airing on Amazon Prime Video.

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The Aces went 9-1 in regular season cup play to earn the Western Conference slot in the championship game, while the Liberty’s 7-3 mark gave them the Eastern Conference spot.

Given the designation “Super Teams” during the offseason, Las Vegas and New York haven’t disappointed as they boast the best offenses in the WNBA averaging  94.0 and 88.5 points per game respectively. The Aces figure would break the league record for single season scoring average should they maintain it through season’s end.

Not only does Tuesday’s game feature the two best teams, but it also features the two leading MVP candidates in A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

Both players are surrounded by equally impressive All-Star teammates, as they accounted for a combined 7 spots in the W’s mid-summer classic—four for the Aces (Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young) and three for the Liberty (Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot). Team Stewart upended Team Wilson back on July 15, 147-127.

The two head coaches in the game also bring championship pedigrees with them—Becky Hammon led the Aces to their first WNBA Championship a year ago, and Sandy Brondello piloted the Phoenix Mercury to the 2014 title.

This is the second-straight appearance in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game for Las Vegas as the Aces upended the Chicago Sky, 93-83, a year ago to claim the title. Chelsea Gray was named MVP after scoring 19 points and handing out 5 assists. Las Vegas outscored the Sky 33-14 in the first quarter, and led wire-to-wire.

In addition to settling the debate as to which team is currently the best team in the WNBA (at least for 2 days until they square off against one another again), the Commissioner’s Cup provides at least $165.000 in charitable donations to select organizations in each WNBA market focused on women’s health, with a focus on advocacy in Black, Brown, and LGBTQ communities. The league is donating $2,000 to the chosen organization of each cup game’s winning team and an additional $500 to the losing team’s organization. To help spotlight the Championship Game for the Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase, the league is donating $10,000 to the winning team’s chosen organization and $5,000 to the organization of the runner-up.

The Aces selected NAMI Southern Nevada as their charity.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation’s leading voice on mental health. Today, we are an association of more than 600 local affiliates who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need.

The Liberty partnered with Callen-Lorde Health Center, which provides sensitive, quality health care and related services targeted to New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities regardless of ability to pay. The Women’s Health Program at Callen-Lorde offers empowering, non-judgmental, body-positive healthcare in an open and welcoming environment.

NEXT UP

The Aces and Liberty resume regular season play on Thursday, Aug. 17 at Michelob ULTRA Arena (7 pm PT on Amazon Prime and SSSEN). Two days later the Aces will celebrate Alumni Night with approximately 65 franchise alumni during their final home game in this current five-game stint when they host the Los Angeles Sparks (12-18) on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 12 pm (ABC).