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          Sports world reacts to Aces winning second straight WNBA title

          • ESPN staffOct 18, 2023, 11:27 PM ET

          The Las Vegas Aces are back-to-back WNBA champions after defeating the New York Liberty 70-69 on Wednesday night.

          After trailing by as much as 12 points in the third, Las Vegas closed the quarter out on a 21-7 run. Playing without star guard Chelsea Gray, the Aces were led by two-time MVP A'ja Wilson who had 24 points and 16 rebounds. Wilson earned WNBA Finals MVP honors after averaging 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in the Finals.

          Las Vegas became the first WNBA team to repeat since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002 after a dominant regular season where they went 34-6.

          The sports world reacted to the Aces' second WNBA title in a row:

          Around the basketball world

          Local love

          The city of Las Vegas is no stranger to championship winning teams. The NHL's Las Vegas Golden Knights won its first Stanley Cup in June. Las Vegas sent their congratulations to the Aces.

          Famous fans

          Wilson released the third version of her signature Nike shoe earlier this year and the company was among the first to congratulate the Finals MVP.

          Former President Barack Obama also congratulated the Aces on their championship win.