Tag: WNBA Finals

A’ja Wilson was completely overcome by emotion after losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Mercury

Wow this is just so painful.

Professional athletes are hyper-competitive. They have to be so they’re able to play at the highest possible level every day.

There’s lots of work that goes into being a pro. It’s the training. It’s the workouts. It’s the treatment. It’s preparing yourself mentally. Athletes pour all of their time into those things to accomplish one goal and that goal is winning a championship.

When they can’t accomplish it? It hurts. But especially so when you’re so close to getting it done.

We saw that pain come out in A’ja Wilson on Friday after the Las Vegas Aces lost a heartbreaking game to the Phoenix Mercury.

And it wasn’t just any game — this was game 5 of the Semifinals. This was the Aces chance to get back into the WNBA Finals and potentially win a championship. It felt like it was their time.

It wasn’t. The Mercury won after a block and a game winner from Diana Taurasi. It was incredible. It was also very sudden and, I imagine, very painful for the Aces.

It wasn’t just the loss — it was the fashion they lost in. Afterward, Wilson was completely overcome by emotion at the end of the game and collapsed on the court in tears.

That is so heartbreaking. It gets even worse when you realize the journey the Aces have been on to get to this point.

The Aces have been right at the cusp for three years straight. They lost to the Mystics in the 2019 WNBA Semifinals, they lost to the Storm in the 2020 WNBA Finals and, now, the Mercury in the 2021 semis.

Getting to this point is so hard. And it feels like the Aces’ time is coming but it just hasn’t come yet.

When will it? We have no idea. But these are the moments that make great players. And judging by Wilson’s response here, she’ll do everything in her power to get her team over the hump.

They’ll be back.

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Candace Parker gave an emotional shoutout to Pat Summit after leading the Chicago Sky to the WNBA Finals

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

For the first time since 2014 the Chicago Sky are heading back to the WNBA Finals.

They beat the Connecticut Sun — WNBA’s #1 overall seed — in four games to advance through the semis. Parker, obviously, was a huge part of that run.

Eight months ago we found out Candace Parker was leaving the Los Angeles Sparks — the only team she’d ever played for in the WNBA — for her hometown Chicago Sky.

Eight months later, here she is going to the Finals with her new team.

She was asked about that journey after the game and talked about the ups and the downs the team had been through with injuries all season long.

But she didn’t really get emotional until she started talking about her former coach, Pat Summitt.

The former Tennessee Volunteers coach passed away in 2016. Parker said everything she does on the court is in her honor and visibly got choked up during the postgame interview.

“This team is special. We’ve battled through adversity; we believed in each other. I want to always bring honor to Pat [Summitt]. In these moments, I always remember her.” 

What a moment. Summitt would certainly be proud of Parker in this moment doing what she’s doing for her hometown.

She’s still got another step to take, though. The Finals are waiting. We’ll see how things turn out.

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