On Tuesday, the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces continued their storied rivalry in the 2026 Commissioner's Cup Championship, but this time, the matchup looked a bit different. For one, four-time MVP A'ja Wilson was sidelined for the Aces after suffering an ankle injury in the team's previous game, meaning Vegas had to stray from its usual game plan.
Anyone who's watched the Liberty play this season would tell you, however, that this did not guarantee success: the team has picked up a nasty habit of playing down or up to the level of its opponents, leading to some losses in some should-be easy wins. Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart made sure the same wouldn't happen in Tuesday's game, however, and the Liberty walked away with a 95-83 win and a new trophy.
From the beginning of the game, the Liberty looked like the best version of itself. Ionescu started the game hot with a layup and a deep 3-pointer, scoring her first five of what would turn into 26 points on the night, the most she's scored since August 3rd, 2025, against the Connecticut Sun, when she scored 36. Ionescu suffered back and ankle injuries to begin the 2026 season, and after an underwhelming first two weeks back on the court, New York was faced with many questions about what it would take to get the four-time All-Star guard back to playing like herself.
Ionescu's teammates and coaching staff never lost faith in her. Before Tuesday's game, Coach Chris DeMarco called her "one of the best players in the league" and affirmed his trust in his franchise point guard to lead the Liberty to wins.
After the game, a starry-eyed Ionescu, straight off of her amazing, Cup-clinching performance, said, "I've always...continued to have that belief in myself because I understand the work that I've put in, and an injury or two is not gonna diminish my understanding of who I am." She also mentioned the importance of not taking basketball for granted because she knows what it feels like for it to be taken away, and she absolutely played like someone looking to hold on to every basket while she can.
Breanna Stewart is, as we've known, generational
In addition to Ionescu's comeback game, Stewart played an amazing game to earn herself her second Commissioner's Cup MVP award: the forward put up 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Aces coach Becky Hammon said after the game, "Of course I'm always going to stomp for A'ja, but Stewie...I could be effusive about that woman."
It makes sense. Stewart is a player who has proven over and over again that she plays winning basketball; on Tuesday, she became the first WNBA player to win three Commissioner's Cup Championships, adding to a trophy case that includes three WNBA championships and four NCAA Championships. Despite the Liberty building an impressive superteam that includes Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Satou Sabally, Stewart has time and time again shown that the team is hers and that she is the key to winning.
As Hammon said before Tuesday's game, Stewart's prowess plays a huge part in why this Liberty vs. Aces rivalry has been so successful. "This rivalry starts with Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson. They are two generational talents...who happen to be in their primes at the exact same time...At the end of the day, fans wanna see the best players go at the best players."
What's next for the Liberty/Aces rivalry?
The Liberty and Aces are the epitome of the phrase "you may have won the battle, but we won the war." No matter how many times Stewart and the Liberty have managed to beat on the Aces (the former has an 8-2 record against the latter in their last 10 matchups), the Aces have managed to emerge from the season looking like the better team multiple times in the last few years. Since 2022, Las Vegas has won three titles to New York's one.
Here's the thing: there are other teams in the league. Other than in 2023, the Aces and Liberty have not faced off in the Finals during this four-year tenure, and the Aces are a team that can beat any and everyone in the league, while the Liberty, at times, look like they are perfectly crafted to beat the Aces but not other top contenders.
As Hammon and many others said before Tuesday's game, the mutual respect and star-studded nature of the Liberty and Aces rivalry is what makes it so special. The more we get to see these teams play, the better, so we can only hope we get another rendition of the matchup in the playoffs.
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