The hype surrounding the WNBA playoff semifinals between Becky Hammon's Las Vegas Aces and Sandy Brondello's New York Liberty was immense, and the much-anticipated series lived up to it. After the Liberty defeated the Aces in four games, the Las Vegas coach said there's nothing personal despite the apparent tension between the teams.
The Aces had defeated the Liberty to take the 2023 championship, and there had reportedly been trash talk along the way. The Liberty, however, had their revenge as they closed out their semifinal series with a 76-62 Game 4 win on Sunday, eliminating the defending champions.
After the game, the Aces coach reflected on the back-and-forth between the two teams over the past year.
"We talked our crap, they heard it and they get to talk their crap. It's part of the game, it's not personal," said Hammon. "I can talk crap all I want, but at the end of the day, I have mad respect.
Hammon praised Liberty coach Sandy Brondello and All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart for their performances throughout the series.
"Sandy coached me. Me and Sandy go way back. Sab, Stewie, I have mad respect for those players. ... Stewie is going to go down as one of the greatest of all time, and Sab will too," Hammon added.
At 47 years old, the Russian-American coach has already put together an impressive resume. Hammon worked as an assistant to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, one of the most decorated tacticians in the NBA, from 2014 to 2021. She was named coach of the Aces in 2022 and led the organization to back-to-back championships in her first two seasons.
Becky Hammon expects a new-look Las Vegas Aces lineup in 2025
After losing just 16 games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined, 2024 turned out to be a bit of a roller-coaster year for Becky Hammon's Aces. Despite an MVP season from superstar center A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas finished fourth in the standings with a 27-13 record.
After the team's season-ending loss on Sunday, Hammon was asked about the future of the team and her expectations for the offseason.
"It's not going to be the same group probably next year, it just won't. And I'm sad about that because I really liked that group," Becky Hammon said.
Veteran point guard Kelsey Plum is an unrestricted free agent, and it remains unclear whether the three-time All-Star will return to Las Vegas.
Forward Alysha Clark and guard Tiffany Hayes, who combined for 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists during the regular season, will also hit free agency.