Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach Cheryl Reeve is the standard for WNBA coaching. She has four WNBA championships, and she is a four-time Coach of the Year. She’s the all-time winningest head coach. History will remember her as the best coach the league has ever seen.
By the time her WNBA career is over, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon hopes to match what Reeve has achieved. A three-time college All-American at Colorado State, she then had a decorated WNBA playing career as a six-time WNBA All-Star and a two-time All-WNBA First Team and Second Team selection. As a WNBA coach, Hammon already boasts three WNBA championships, winning that prize in three of the last four seasons (2022, 2023, and 2025).
Although she was a great player, the jury was out on Hammon when she became a WNBA head coach. But she came to the job having learned from Gregg Popovich as his associate coach with the San Antonio Spurs. She inherited a team with good years and down years, reaching the 2020 Finals under Bill Laimbeer but never winning it all until Hammon arrived.
Now, the Aces aim to repeat as champs and win their fourth title in the last five seasons.
The 2026 WNBA playoffs start Sunday when the defending champion Aces play the Indiana Fever in a Best-of-3 series. But here’s the thing. You haven’t heard much talk about them repeating. The Minnesota Lynx are the favorite to win it all.
Champion! (photo courtesy OutSports)
So, as strange as it sounds, the Aces play a lurking role. They know how to win in October, and they have two of the best players, MVP favorite A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray. They have been great all year. Don’t bet against Las Vegas!
Yes, the first-round matchup with the Fever could be dicey because the Aces will have to deal with Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Sophie Cunningham. To counter, the Aces are a defense-first team, and they also have plenty of crunch-time experience.
Playing defense is non-negotiable under Hammon. The players won’t play if they don’t play defense first. It’s the standard and culture the Aces coach created since she was hired. The players have followed her lead in the way they go about their business. They are always professional on and off the court.
Hammon has yet to reach her prime as a head coach. When history is said and done, she can surpass Reeve for most championships.
The Aces have become a destination for players who want that elusive championship ring. All of this starts and ends with Hammon for creating that environment.
If you want a WNBA coach who can win you a Game 7, you go with Reeve or Hammon here. It will be interesting if those two teams match up along the way: Hammon and her Aces vs. Reeve and her Lynx. Watching them match coaching wits would be fun!
Beating Reeve en route to another championship would strengthen Hammon’s case to become what she has her sights set on: the WNBA’s best ever.
