They elevated the WNBA on their talent, but that was the baseline expectation when they arrived as the No. 1 draft pick, festooned with collegiate honors and championships. Since then, they have surpassed their supernatural abilities and become the most important figures in the game.
They operate differently. Wilson is a whirlwind of energy and hilarity, an uninterrupted entertainer even when discussing important topics. Stewart embodies a quiet intensity; when she chooses to raise her voice, it resonates. Combine their approaches and they cover much of what the WNBA now stands for: authenticity, empowerment, fearlessness, independence, style, culture, edge. The league is full of people who understand better than anyone the dexterity needed to compete for each other.
This dynamic makes the Wilson vs. Stewart final round much richer than a stereotypical rivalry. On Sunday, as a dream WNBA Finals begins, the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty will meet in a best-of-five series featuring superteams that have won at least 80 percent of their games in the during the first year of the league’s 40-game schedule. . But for Wilson and Stewart, it’s wonderfully repetitive: For the third time in four seasons, their paths to a championship cross.
In the 2020 Bubble Finals, Stewart won his second title with the Seattle Storm, sweeping Wilson and the Aces. In last season’s semi-final, Wilson led the Aces to a close 3-1 victory over the Storm, ending Sue Bird’s Legendary Career and close out Stewart’s time in Seattle. Then the Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 final, sparking a Vegas-style celebration frenzy from Wilson and her teammates.
Looking back, the Aces won that championship because Wilson stepped up after a lackluster Game 1 loss to Seattle. After winning his second MVP award in 2022, Wilson scored just eight points and missed seven of 10 shots in a 76-73 home loss. By then, Wilson had faced Stewart four times in the playoffs and his team had lost all four games. After getting swept in 2020 and leaving the bubble, Wilson experienced panic attacks and sought therapy. Since then, she has been an advocate for mental health. During her most difficult time last season, she found peace.
“I was hot,” Wilson recalled. “I was hot. I don’t think you understand how I felt after that match. It was just terrible for me. It devoured me. I didn’t sleep at night; That’s one time I didn’t sleep. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I think I thought I just didn’t believe in myself. My confidence soared. And I’ve never seen that in A’ja – ever.
She averaged 30 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for the rest of the series, engaging in an epic duel with Stewart, who had 31.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in those games. . But Vegas won all three games, one in overtime and the others by five points each. The reign of the Storm was about to end. The Aces were no longer looking to break through. Wilson has gone from being the biggest challenger to being the best player in Stewart’s game to a transcendent star who deserves a share of the label.
“Coming in, I really wanted to establish myself in this league, and I try my best to do that every game,” Wilson said. “After this match, I don’t know. I felt like I had disrespected myself by not putting myself first, by prioritizing my mental (health). After this match, I took care to understand and realize who I am in a very, very personal way.
It might be impossible for one player to supplant Stewart as the defining player of this era. She had such a storybook academic career; as a professional, she has been a sublime player and voice for social justice and for better pay, travel and support within the WNBA. She fights against the league and she fights for it. She honors tradition and seeks to open new paths. But he’s not a star who monopolizes all the oxygen.
This sport has seen numerous individual dominations. It needs a larger audience to respect its multiplicity. This is where Stewart and Wilson symbolize a rivalry and partnership, an intriguing matchup that they hope will attract attention across the league.
“We’re in a special place in women’s basketball,” Stewart said. “There are so many great players doing so many great things every night.”
As with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird during the NBA’s rise in the 1980s, sometimes it’s easier for a magnetic pair to connect everyone to the whole. For Wilson and Stewart, the stakes keep getting higher every time their teams meet.
Las Vegas finished the regular season with a remarkable 34-6 record, and the Aces look to enter the conversation as one of the league’s greatest teams by becoming the first repeat champion in 21 years. Despite being a founding franchise of the WNBA, the Liberty has yet to win a championship in the league’s 27 seasons. But the return to the Northeast of Stewart, a native of North Syracuse, N.Y., who played college basketball at Connecticut, opened a new window of contention. She returned to New York as the most celebrated free agent acquisition in league history, and the Liberty formed a core that only the Aces can match by also signing star point guard Courtney Vandersloot and trading against 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones to partner with young superstar Sabrina. Ionescu and Betnijah Laney, a 2021 All-Star. With their balanced and explosive starting lineup, the Liberty finished 32-8, and they beat the Aces three times in five meetings if you include an 82-63 blowout in the Commissioner’s Cup final.
Will Stewart win her third WNBA title and finally present a trophy to New York? Or will Wilson collect a second and succeed even in the hardware race?
“Someone is making history,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
Instead of a fake, forced hatred, Wilson and Stewart share a competitive bond. Although Wilson admitted she was “hurt” about not winning MVP this season, she doesn’t blame Stewart for cashing in on the Big Apple hype. They struggle together, two power forwards with the versatility to function as positionless players. Stewart does it with skill and length, his 6-foot-4 frame extending to a 7-foot-1 wingspan. At the same height, Wilson is more of an athletic presence who continues to expand his game and increase his efficiency. She shot 55.7 percent this season, an unprecedented figure for a WNBA forward who averaged 22.8 points, slightly behind Stewart’s 23.0. Both are defensive factors; Wilson is the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
The sport has never seen two evolutionary forwards meet so frequently for the championship. At the same time, they commit to anchoring Team USA for three more Olympic Games. They are the right rivals – and allies – at the right time.
