Sabrina Ionescu & A’ja Wilson Ensure San Antonio vs. New York Rivalry Continues in WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final

Sabrina Ionescu and A'ja Wilson will clash once again in the Commissioners Cup Final.

Sabrina Ionescu & A’ja Wilson Ensure San Antonio vs. New York Rivalry Continues in WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final

A'ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu (Image credits - Firstsportz)

Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson are two of the biggest names in the WNBA today. They have shared the last four WNBA championships, with Wilson winning three and Ionescu winning one in 2024.

Not only are the two stars at the top of their games, but they also play for teams that have a lot of history with one another – the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces were previously located in San Antonio. They were called the San Antonio Stars till they relocated to Las Vegas in 2017.

With the majority of the Aces fanbase still from San Antonio, the rivalry with Liberty is still very intense. It is about to get even more intense as the two sides are scheduled to meet in the WNBA Commissioners Cup Final on June 30.

The two sides will be playing each other in the Cup Final for the second time. They met three years ago and Liberty led by Sabrina Ionescu came out on top.

Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson and the Aces won the title in 2022. Hence, both teams will be eager to be the first franchise to win the trophy twice. The win will also be a lot sweeter due to their rivalry with one another.

Wilson has started the 2026 WNBA campaign in fine form. She has picked up from where she left off last year where she became the only player in WNBA or NBA history to ever win the championship, scoring title, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season. She will be looking to add another title this month.

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Sabrina Ionescu clutched against Chicago Sky to book a spot in the Final

In arguably the closest game of the season so far, Sabrina Ionescu came up big when it mattered the most. The Liberty guard was playing in just her third game this season as she was recovering from an injury.

The game against the Chicago Sky went back and forth. With 15 seconds to go in the final quarter, Liberty were trailing by one point. But Ionescu scored the game-winning layup to seal a place in the Final.

Ionescu ended her night with 10 points and three rebounds. The Liberty will host the Commissioners Cup Final at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. With home court advantage, Ionescu will be looking to win her second Commissioners Cup.

Becky Hammon will have to deal with the New York crowd

A final in New York promises to be nothing but exciting. However, that may not be the case for the Aces head coach, Becky Hammon. The former San Antonio Stars player made some comments about Jalen Brunson that did not go down well with the New York crowd.

She believed that the New York Knicks could not win a championship with Brunson as their best player due to his small size. While she was the one amongst many who doubted the Knicks superstar, she stood by her statements even after the Knicks clean-swept the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Brunson was awarded the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

Becky Hammon
Becky Hammon (Image credits – NBA Central/X)

In the end, Brunson proved her wrong as he led the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years. He was named as the Finals MVP, and it was later revealed that Hammon’s comments about him fueled him.

Hence, it would not be surprising to see the fans boo Hammon in the final. Both teams have been in good form so far this season. The Liberty are currently at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with an 11-4 record. Meanwhile, the Aces have a similar record and sit in second place in the Western Conference standings.

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