2022 WNBA Final: Aces head coach Becky Hammon stuns doubters following win vs Suns, Chelsea Gray named MVP

Becky Hammon has been a favorite target for detractors since the start of her WNBA career. She had endured years of insulting remarks about her physical appearance and doubts about her abilities. She was deemed to be too sluggish and short to play Division I collegiate basketball.

People doubted if she was capable of living up to other WNBA players’ standards. Some doubted that she would ever be successful as a WNBA bench player. Finally, they questioned if she was prepared to lead a WNBA franchise. Hammon, though, prefers to silence detractors with her on-court performances and thinks it’s preferable to respond to them with her hard work.

The six-time WNBA all-star has made a living by dismissing the negative opinions of the critics. For eight NBA seasons, Becky Hammon worked as Gregg Popovich’s assistant, before Aces owner Mark Davis decided to recruit her last December to take over head coach duties. Additionally, the 45-year-old just made history by leading her team to a championship in just her first season ever in that role. With that accomplishment, she slammed the door closed on the skeptics once and for all.

In the best-of-five finals series, the Aces defeated the Sun by a score of three games to one to win their first WNBA championship. The victory marked the first significant professional sports title for a team based in Las Vegas, where the Aces transferred their operations in 2018 after being founded in 1997 as the Utah Starzz and previously operating in San Antonio, Texas.

The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun on Sunday to win the 2022 Women’s NBA championship and guard Chelsea Gray led the way with 20 points and six assists. “We didn’t like that feeling we had last year,” said Gray, who won MVP honors for the WNBA Finals. “It was a tough moment but it built character. It was setting something up for the following year.”