Becky Hammon and Natalie Williams have officially secured their spots in WNBA history.
The duo — coach Hammon and general manager Williams — have, with their Las Vegas Aces players and crew, become the first WNBA franchise to win back-to-back league titles in over two decades.
The Aces beat the New York Liberty, 3-1, in the WNBA Finals, capping a season that saw the Aces leapfrog the stars-heavy Liberty in the league standings and secure the No. 1 spot in the playoffs.
Both Hammon (No. 20) and Williams (No. 73) were included in the Outsports Power 100 this year, our list of the most powerful out LGBTQ people in American sports.
As players, each of these women was also a star, with Williams winning Olympic gold and Hammon a six-time WNBA All-Star.
The Aces also had publicly out players, including Chelsea Gray, Riquna Williams, Sydney Colson and Candace Parker.
For those counting at home, that’s an out LGBTQ GM, head coach and a third of the players.
For their part, the Aces players have not been shy about celebrating the unique back-to-back moment for the franchise:
And the ACES HAVE ENTERED THE PRESSER pic.twitter.com/8bLx0GeoWz
— Gigi Speer (@gigi_speer) October 19, 2023
Now the quest begins for the Aces to become only the second team to pull a threepeat. Only the Houston Comets — who won the first four WNBA titles with superstars Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes — have gone beyond the repeat.
Regardless, our congratulations go out to Hammon, Williams and the entire Aces team.