Victory Lap

How 3 Las Vegas Aces Players Are Celebrating Their WNBA Finals Win

Off-duty, they're sipping tequila, catching concerts, and taking well-deserved naps.

by Carolyn Steber
Game Changers: The 2025 WNBA Finals

Parties, dancing, photo ops, and plenty of rest — that’s how the Las Vegas Aces are celebrating winning the 2025 WNBA Finals. The team secured its third championship title in four years after sweeping the Phoenix Mercury 4-0 at the WNBA Finals on Oct. 10, and now, the players are taking a victory lap.

The team returned to Vegas for a parade on Oct. 17. The celebration drew massive crowds of fans who came to cheer as the players gave speeches, toured town on an open-top bus, held up their trophy for the flashing cameras, and went viral simply for how much fun they were having. (Looking at you, too, coach Becky.) A performance by Ludacris at the team’s victory party at Toshiba Plaza only added to the energetic vibe.

During the five months of the WNBA season, the team was playing hard and traveling non-stop, so they’re ready to take advantage of the off-season with some serious R&R. “Nobody talks about what your body goes through when you just stop coming to the practice league,” says A’ja Wilson, pointing to how exhausted, stiff, and sore players can feel the moment the season ends.

Ian Maule/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

After the championship, though, players can catch up on some sleep and revel in the win. “I've been vibing it out for the last couple of days. And my off-season looks like I'll be somewhere in South Florida, chilling out the way,” says Wilson, a center and 2025 MVP.

Jewell Loyd, a guard, has been balancing rest and recovery, too. “We definitely have been enjoying Vegas,” she says. “But once the season kind of stops, your body kind of stretches down, too. It knows that it's not in-season, so everything that was getting you going through the season is kind of calming you down right now. So a lot of food, a lot of water, and a lot of rest.”

Ian Maule/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Many players have also been attending the local events, like Raiders and Knights games, that they had to miss while busy with their own season. “It's nice to see Vegas as a fan now off-duty,” Loyd says. For her, the highlight was seeing Wiz Khalifa, who performed on Oct. 11 at Drai's Nightclub. “That's a high school throwback for all of us,” Loyd adds. “We were in our prime for that... We're booked and busy.”

After the win, Chelsea Gray celebrated in Vegas with her fellow players, wife, and son. “I am having fun with my teammates, having a little bit of tequila, having fun with my wife and son,” she says. “[And] sleeping a little bit, which has been great.”

She’s also getting ready for a stint with Unrivaled, another women’s basketball league that kicks off in January. “I'll be taking some time off and then I'll be doing [that],” she says. “I'm excited for these next few months to just have some time without having a strict schedule.”

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