PHOENIX — When the Las Vegas Aces were going through their lowest stretches of the season, and when the team fell below .500, Aces president Nikki Fargas said she always believed that greatness was still possible.
“When you have A’ja Wilson …” Fargas said as her voice trailed off.
Through Wilson, all things are possible. That was evident in Wednesday night’s Game 3 of the WNBA Finals as the Aces proved their dominance again to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven title series with a 90-88 victory against the Phoenix Mercury.
The Mercury erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter behind a flurry of buckets from Kahleah Copper and veteran shotmaking from DeWanna Bonner. Las Vegas went away from Wilson, not pressing the defense when the Mercury denied Wilson on the initial action.
But on their final possession, the Aces turned to Wilson, and she delivered what will surely go down as one of the defining moments of her career. Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon called a timeout with five seconds remaining and Jackie Young flailing — wanting to ensure that the Aces got the final shot of the game — and Hammon put the ball in her MVP’s hands. Wilson drove left from the elbow, turned and got up a short jumper over the outstretched arms of Alyssa Thomas. The ball lingered on the rim but then fell in, giving Las Vegas a two-point lead with less than a second to play.
Never getting over this shot by A’ja Wilson to win Game 3 🔥
Wilson finished with 34 PTS (Finals career-high), 14 REB, 4 AST & 3 BLKS!#WelcometotheW | WNBA Finals | @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/xnCPsVhVtB
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 9, 2025
Wilson set an Aces franchise finals record with 34 points, breaking a tie with Young on the final basket. Wilson, a four-time MVP, is one win away from her third title in four seasons.
Wilson set a new WNBA record for points in a postseason and also recorded her ninth playoff game of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the only player to ever do so consecutively. She also passed Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi for the most 30-plus point games in the playoffs (nine) and Lisa Leslie (37) for the most multi-block postseason games.
A historic night ending with a historic moment.
There wasn’t even a play call. Just get the ball to Wilson, and let her do her thing.
“Those are the moments that you live for, so I’m glad I was able to show up,” Wilson said.
Wilson is building a collection of these plays in her eight-year career, but this one harkened back to another turnaround jumper from the left side of the floor that put shorthanded Las Vegas up six against the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals. It wasn’t a true game-winner like her basket against Phoenix, but it provided the winning margin in a finals-clinching game that resulted in back-to-back titles (and Wilson’s lone finals MVP trophy).
“The one where Coach (Dawn) Staley was cussing afterwards?” Wilson asked when prompted about the 2023 shot. “This one gotta be over that one, only because we got the dub. This is the one that kind of sealed Game 3 for us.”
The one shot may have sealed the game, but as has been the case throughout the series and throughout her MVP season, Wilson carried her team. The Mercury entered Game 3 with a new plan to try to contend with Wilson, moving Thomas to guard Chelsea Gray and sticking with Natasha Mack on Wilson. It lasted for all of seven minutes before Phoenix switched to Bonner, Kathryn Westbeld or more of Thomas.
Wilson opened the scoring for Las Vegas with an elbow jumper, hitting two more in the first stretch to build a 15-8 lead as Mack was less comfortable venturing onto the perimeter. Whenever the Mercury threatened to come back into the game, it was Wilson who settled the Aces. Tied at 21-21, Wilson had a spin in the post to draw a foul and put Las Vegas back in front. When Phoenix cut an eight-point advantage down to three in the second quarter, Hammon called timeout and got the ball to Wilson on the next possession. Bucket.
And after a four-minute, 40-second stretch of not hitting any field goals in the fourth quarter, it was Wilson whom the Aces called upon to take them home.
Wilson does just about everything for Las Vegas on the court. She had three blocks and 14 rebounds, protecting the paint defensively. She set massive screens to spring Young in the half court, helping her reach 21 points. On the rare occasions that Wilson faced a double, she moved the ball quickly and made the correct read, even if it didn’t always result in a score.
So it was of little surprise that Phoenix made its run when the Aces didn’t work hard enough to get Wilson the ball, when she didn’t even get touches, let alone finish plays. That’s why Hammon’s message on the final timeout was: “Give the ball to A’ja.”
It mattered even more to Wilson because she had bobbled the ball on the previous possession, allowing Phoenix a chance to take the lead and potentially change the tenor of the series. Instead, she got to atone for her flub in memorable fashion.
“I just had to get that one back, because that would have crushed my whole soul,” Wilson said. “But when I saw the play was for me, I was like, Becky trusts me, so I gotta make something happen.”
In a hostile environment, after blowing a big lead and feeling the echoes of a similar comeback by the Seattle Storm in the first round and the Indiana Fever in the second, this isn’t just a moment for stars: It’s for legends. Wilson’s teammates all seemed to know in that timeout that they would win, and the entire organization had faith that she would deliver.
It’s what she does. It’s what she did.
