While history will be made once again in the WNBA, when the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty meet in the sixth Commissioner's Cup in league history, it'll happen without the reigning MVP.
Arguably the best player in the world currently, A'ja Wilson, will sit this one out with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, the winner of Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn will become the first team in Cup history to win multiple titles.
Las Vegas is looking for its second Commissioner’s Cup title after winning the second-ever title in 2022 with a 93-83 victory over the Chicago Sky. The Aces and Liberty met in the 2023 championship game, in which New York won, 82-63, in Las Vegas.
New York is also appearing in its third title game, as it fell short to Minnesota, 94-89, in 2024 on the Liberty's home court.
"People want to see New York versus Vegas, so I think it’s good for the fans," Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
Fans are most certainly always intrigued when the Liberty and Aces tango, as they've been two of the most dominant teams in the league since Wilson was drafted first overall in 2018.
Since Wilson's rookie season, the Aces own the most regular-season wins (208), 24 more than the next closest competitor. In the same time frame, the New York Liberty sit fifth with 150 wins, well behind the Aces.
Since 2022, the WNBA Finals have featured one or both teams. The Aces won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, over the Connecticut Sun and Liberty.
New York defeated the Minnesota Lynx in 2024, and the Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in 2025 to win their third title in four seasons.
Beyond the Ali-Frazier heavyweight-like bout, though, there are other storylines to consider when these two take the floor Tuesday night.
TONIGHT it's the 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship featuring a rematch between the @LVAces and the @nyliberty only on #PrimeVideo 🔥
🏀6:30p ET - #WNBAonPrime Pregame is on the road for the first time
🏀7p ET - @LVAces at @nylibertyPLUS stay tuned for a 1-hour… pic.twitter.com/W2rSoTfoEs
— PrimeVideoSportsPR (@PrimeSportsPR) June 30, 2026
For instance:
NEXT WOMAN UP MENTALITY
This space was originally reserved for the showdown between Wilson and Breanna Stewart, who have forged one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
I mean, playoffs and the lone Cup meeting aside, the two have met 20 times during the regular season, with Stewart holding an 11-9 edge. In the postseason, a tighter edge also goes to Stewart, 8-7.
The rivalry that began in 2020, when the teams met in the WNBA Finals in Bradenton, Florida, during the COVID-shortened season, will be put on hold with Wilson sidelined.
Enter Cheyenne Parker-Tyus.
The 33-year-old might be a step down from Wilson, sure. But she's no step down in grit and determination. Don't think for a moment she isn't capable of filling a role and using her 6-foot-4 frame to neutralize Stewart or Jonquel Jones.
CPT played just four minutes two nights ago in Chicago, and should be much more rested than a Liberty team that is fresh off a West Coast tour that ended with a loss in San Francisco two nights ago. Prior to Chicago, Parker-Tyus turned in double-digit scoring efforts against the same Liberty and the Dallas Wings.
And let's not forget about NaLyssa Smith, who has competitive blood in her DNA, having won a national championship in Baylor and becoming a pivotal role in the Aces' championship run last season.
Smith is due for an outbreak, too, as she's scored less than 6.0 points per game the last three contests, which followed a six-game stretch that saw her average 14.5 points per outing. In 11 career games against the Liberty, Smith is averaging 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
3-POINT GUNNERS
With Wilson out, the matchup to keep an eye on in this game is between sharpshooters Sabrina Ionescu and Jackie Young. If either one, or both, get hot, this could turn into an exciting, anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better shootout.
The similarities are eerie on the tale of the tape, and it's highly conceivable that both will find their shooting touch during this game.
Young has an edge on the stat sheet this season, as she's been on the floor for the Aces since the start, appearing in 19 games and averaging 16.5 points per game, while hitting. 386 from 3-point range. Since shooting a rather bleak .347 from long range over her first 14 games, Young is hitting a scorching .483 from beyond the arc.
Ionescu didn't make her season debut until recently, and is averaging just 9.5 points after nine games. She's also hitting just .270 from long range. That said, after averaging 7.4 points over her first five games, she's averaging 13.0 per contest since scoring a season-high 16 in Las Vegas during an 11-point win over the Aces. And, Ionescu hit just five 3-pointers in those first five games; she's hit five in her last three.
If there is a game both could easily find their touch, it's tonight's Commissioner's Cup championship.
WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW?
Is it possible we're going to see a preview of the WNBA Finals? Or, at least one of the teams that will play for another championship?
Since the Commissioner’s Cup debuted in 2021, one or both teams in the title game have gone on to play for the WNBA championship three times.
In 2022, the Aces won both titles, defeating the Sky for the Cup and the Sun for the franchise's first-ever title.
In 2023, the Liberty beat the Aces for the Cup title, and Las Vegas' revenge was sweeter when it won its second straight championship on New York's floor.
In 2024, we got another revenge rematch, as the Lynx beat the Liberty for the Cup, and New York won its first-ever title when it knocked off Minnesota in Brooklyn in a decisive fifth game.
When the regular season resumes, the Aces will be in second place in the league, one game back of the Lynx, while the Liberty sit fifth, just 3.5 games off the pace.
As of Monday night, the Aces were +340 to win the title, while the Liberty were close behind at +380, per FanDuel. The Lynx (+170) are the current favorites to win the championship.
"It’s a pretty high number with teams that go to the Commissioner’s Cup championship, teams that play in the (WNBA) finals," Jones said. "I think it's a good place to start."
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
