The New York Liberty’s 93-85 win against the A’ja-Wilson-less Las Vegas Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup final was a much-needed bounce-back victory after consecutive losses to the Seattle Storm and Golden State Valkyries. Sabrina Ionescu played her best game of the season with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Breanna Stewart gave the Aces plenty of trouble on both ends of the floor. “She hurt us,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said about Stewart in the postgame media availability, per a video on the team’s YouTube channel. “Her length—she’s super disruptive on both ends of the floor when she’s locked in.”Stewart finished the game wth 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks and was named the Commissioner’s Cup MVP. Hammon couldn’t help but give Stewart her flowers after the game. “Of course, I’m always going to stomp for A’ja, but Stewie, I could be effusive about that woman in the sense of how good I think she is,” Hammon said. “She’s just a winner. I think she’s about the right things all the time. Even when she’s not scoring, she makes winning moves, winning basketball plays.”Becky Hammon knows all too well what Breanna Stewart is capable ofSep 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots a hook shot against Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) during game one of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectAfter years of coaching A’ja Wilson, Becky Hammon knows, perhaps better than anyone, what sustained excellence looks like. Wilson is a four-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and a three-time DPOY. She also led the Aces to three championships and is the fastest player in league history to reach 6,000 points. And she’s not even 30 yet. Wilson is well on her way to standing alone as the WNBA GOAT. Over that time, Hammon has also seen one player challenge A’ja Wilson more than anyone else: Breanna Stewart. She won MVP over Wilson and Alyssa Thomas in 2023 and was never far behind in the years that Wilson won the award (except for an injury-ridden 2025 season). In the WNBA’s 30 years of existence, there have been 16 different MVP winners. Eight of them won more than one MVP. Wilson leads the pack with four MVPs, overtaking Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson. Stewart is the only other active player with more than one MVP to her name since Swoopes, Leslie, Jackson, Cynthia Cooper, Candace Parker, and Elena Delle Donne have all retired. Stewart has been one of the best players in the W since the Seattle Storm selected her first overall in the 2016 draft, and her Liberty team is still one of the biggest threats to the Aces’ chances of repeating as champions. They are the only team in the top five of the standings right now that has beaten the Aces twice this season—in large part due to Stewart, who also played a big part in the Liberty’s 87-76 regular-season victory. The Aces won their first game against the Minnesota Lynx 100-97, edged out the Atlanta Dream 85-84, and took care of the Valkyries three times already. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow