The Las Vegas Aces won access to the exclusive club with a 70-69 victory over the New York Liberty.
Buoyed by WNBA Finals MVP A’ja Wilson’s 24 points and 16 rebounds in Game 4, the Aces became the first consecutive WNBA champions in more than 20 years.
“There were a lot of years where we weren’t that super, but you can’t build a super team in a few months. It takes years, but I’m really proud of this group.” said Kelsey Plumb after the win.
The Los Angeles Sparks, led by Lisa Leslie, were the last team to accomplish this feat in 2001 and 2002. The Sparks congratulated the Aces, acknowledging the 21-year gap since the last time the WNBA had back-to-back champions.
It has been 7,718 days since WNBA teams played back-to-back games.
Welcome to the exclusive club, @LVAces!
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) October 19, 2023
Before that, the Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles from 1997 to 2000, each time with Cynthia Cooper making her mark by winning Finals MVP.
The newly crowned repeat champion and Finals MVP reached out to former Comets star Sheryl Swoopes for tips on making a comeback. The advice appears to have paid off, as the aces achieved a feat not seen in many American professional sports since 2000.
Other teams with consecutive winning seasons since the turn of the century are:
NBA
Los Angeles Lakers
2000/2001/2002, 2009/2010
The Lakers began the millennium with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest duos in NBA history. Under coach Phil Jackson, they completed the league’s fifth three-peat, a feat not accomplished since.
It was Bryant’s first NBA Finals victory without O’Neal, and he earned Finals MVP honors both years.
miami heat
2012/2013
It’s hard to talk about the modern NBA without mentioning the Heatles. The trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh appeared in four consecutive NBA Finals and won two Larry O’Brien trophies.
golden state warriors
2017/2018
Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green helped the Warriors secure dynasty status as they won Golden State’s third NBA title in four seasons. Their most recent championship series was their first sweep in the Finals since 2007.
NFL
new england patriots
2004/2005
Only seven franchises have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy two years in a row. The Patriots, led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, are the only team this millennium to accomplish that.
MLB
new york yankees
1998/1999/2000
Winning multiple World Series titles is difficult, but the Yankees earned their spot thanks to their “core four” of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera.
NHL
pittsburgh penguins
2016/2017
Sidney Crosby’s Penguins became the first team in 20 years to win the Stanley Cup in consecutive seasons. Crosby won the Conn Smythe Trophy with both wins, becoming the third player in NHL history to win back-to-back MVP awards in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
tampa bay lightning
2020/2021
As a result of changes to the NHL schedule due to the pandemic, the Lightning have won their second straight championship in 10 months and have the honor of hoisting the Stanley Cup twice in one calendar year.