Commissioners' Cup championship game set with 'old friends' New York and Las Vegas meeting at Barclays Center June 30
Chalk up a victory for the fans, as the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship game will pit the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty.
It marks the second time in four seasons the league powerhouses will battle for the in-season tournament title and a $500,000 prize pool.
"People want to see New York versus Vegas, so I think it’s good for the fans," Aces coach Becky Hammon said after her team clinched its spot in the contest with an 86-76 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.
It's both teams' third trip to the Cup championship game.
The Aces won the title in 2022 with a victory over the Chicago Sky, and then lost to the Liberty in the 2023 championship. New York then lost to the Minnesota Lynx in 2024. The 2023 and 2024 Cup championships turned out to be previews of the WNBA Finals, with the same teams ending up playing for the title in the postseason.
And since the Commissioner’s Cup debuted in 2021, one or both teams have gone to play for the WNBA championship three times.
"We would like to think that way, obviously," Liberty center Jonquel Jones said. "But I think, obviously, we still have a lot of growth, a lot of areas we can grow as a team.
"It’s a pretty high number with teams that go to the Commissioner’s Cup championship, teams that play in the (WNBA) finals. I think it's a good place to start."
SO WE MEET AGAIN
The Aces and Liberty are slowly becoming the equivalent of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, with a perennial Western Conference favorite meeting a perennial Eastern Conference favorite.
The Liberty have won five straight regular-season home games against the Aces since the 2023 season. They're 21-12 all-time in New York when hosting the Aces franchise, from their days in Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Las Vegas.
"Barclays has been a tough place for us to play the last few years, so it’s going to be a great battle," Hammon said. "New York’s playing really well right now."
The Aces have four games to sort out what's become a problem on the defensive end of the floor. While they may have just held the Mercury to 76 points, the defending champs have allowed 91 or more in seven of their 15 games. They're giving up 86.5 points per contest, eighth highest in the league.
Now they're approaching the Cup clash against a Liberty team that is currently scoring the league's fourth-highest 88.9 points per game while allowing 82.3 ppg., also fourth best in the W.
Despite their defensive inconsistencies, Wilson said the Aces feel as if they're in a better situation than they were last season after the first 15 games.
True, they have a positive margin this season, but while the Aces were 7-8 and scoring just 80.6 ppg. at this point in 2025, they were allowing 82.0, which is 4.5 less than they're yielding this season.
"We didn’t even give ourselves a chance last season, so it's kind of good for us to have a chance to compete for a championship midway through the season," Wilson said. "It’s going to be tough, but I think it also sets us (up) for October. It sets us (up) for August, when we really have to buckle in."
THE STAGE IS SET 🏆
The @nyliberty and @lvaces are headed to the 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship presented by @coinbase.
Who’s taking home the crown? 👑
📺 Watch LIVE June 30 on Prime pic.twitter.com/t9eL5iERSd
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 18, 2026
MEANWHILE, AT THE BOOK
WNBA Odds For June 30, 2026
Here are the odds for the Commissioner's Cup (odds via FanDuel):
Las Vegas Aces at New York Liberty
Spread: Las Vegas +3.5 (-106) | New York Liberty -3.5 (-114)
Moneyline: Las Vegas (+130) | New York Liberty (-160)
Total: O/U 171.5 (-110/-110)
Whether it's been in the regular season or the playoffs, the Liberty have won eight of the last 10 meetings. Dating back to the 2023 regular season, the Liberty have won eight of the last nine meetings in the Empire State.
And since the start of the 2023 campaign, when Breanna Stewart bolted Seattle for New York, and her battles with A'ja Wilson have become one of the most anticipated in the WNBA, the average total is 163.8 points per meeting. And when they meet in Brooklyn, that tally dips to 161.6 points per contest.
Speaking of Wilson, in case you're looking for a player prop, her career averages against the Liberty are 18.8 points and 8.0 rebounds. And since Stewie arrived, Wilson's points dip slightly to 18.2 ppg., while her rebounds spike to 9.1. Flipside, since joining the Liberty, Stewart is averaging 18.3 ppg. and 8.3 rpg.
The sleeper to watch in this showdown will be Jones, who is averaging 13.7 ppg. and 9.7 rpg. against the Aces since coming to New York in 2023.
"Obviously, New York is rockin' and rollin' doing what they're doing," Wilson added. "It should be good, it should be fun."
MORE THAN A GAME
The winning team makes roughly $30,000 per player, while the game's MVP earns an additional $5,000. Players from the losing team take home $10,000 each.
There’s also a charity donation pool worth more than $200,000 at stake. Winning teams earned $3,000 for a local organization of their choice, while losing teams earned $1,000 for each Commissioner’s Cup game during the tournament. The Cup winner's charity earns an additional $10,000 donation, while $5,000 goes to the runner-up's organization.
The Aces are playing for the Public Education Foundation, while the Liberty are playing for the African American Policy Forum.
"It’s great when we can give back not only to these players but the charities that each team is playing is for," Hammon said. "Barclays is gonna be rockin'. I know that."
Added Jones: "I think anytime you're playing for more than yourself, it kind of really helps you to go out there and have that extra effort. It's not just about us and the money that we're winning, it's also about the organization and the way that they're impacting the community."
