Aces receive 2-in-1 WNBA championship rings, then get blown out by Mercury in season opener

For the third time in four seasons, the Las Vegas Aces began their season with a celebration on Saturday.

The defending champions distributed their championships rings in a presentation that also included a video montage, a string quartet and team owners Mark Davis and Tom Brady. A’ja Wilson, naturally, reported for duty already wearing her previous two championship rings.

The rings were as gaudy as you might expect, with a diamond-laden design featuring the Aces’ championship trophies from 2022, 2023 and 2025. The most interesting feature: a function where part of the ring can be removed for a more a slimmed down look.

It’s still not what we would describe as subtle.

“This is truly amazing,” Wilson said after receiving the ring. “We want to thank all the fans here and everywhere that support us through every single game, every journey that we’ve been through. We are forever thankful and grateful.”

Wilson then alluded to “some work to do,” namely becoming the second franchise to win a fourth championship in a span of five years (Houston Comets 1997-2000). That effort did not get off to a good start.

The Phoenix Mercury proceeded to blow out the Aces 99-66 in a rematch of the 2025 WNBA Finals. The 33-point margin is the largest loss a defending champion has suffered in a season opener in WNBA history, per ESPN’s Alex Philippou.

Alyssa Thomas had 20 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. She was one of six players to score in double figures for Phoenix, while the Aces gave up 17 turnovers on offense.

It pretty much a wire-to-wire win, with the Mercury never trailing and taking a lead as large as 38 points. The Aces will try to recover on the road against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.