Tonight, the Las Vegas Aces can win their third WNBA championship in four years, led by their superstar A'ja Wilson.
The Aces have taken a commanding 3-0 series lead in the best-of-seven affair after an amazing shot by Wilson at the elbow dropped in with less than a second left to give the Aces the lead in Game 3.
Wilson's shot had us thinking; how many game winning shots have there been in WNBA Finals history? Which shots are the most impressive?
Here, we'll break down the top five most iconic game-winners in WNBA Finals history.
5. Nneka Ogwumike (2016, Game 5)
In a battle between the clear two best teams in the WNBA in 2016, the 28-6 Minnesota Lynx went to five games against the 26-8 Los Angeles Sparks.
In 2016, the WNBA Finals were still best-of-five, so all the glory or despair for each team rested on the outcome of this game.
The Sparks held an eight point lead with three minutes left in the game, but Maya Moore and Minnesota went on a furious 8-0 run in one minute to tie it up with two minutes on the clock.
Moore gave the Lynx the lead with a pull-up jumper with 15 seconds left. With no timeouts, the Sparks had to move quickly. Chelsea Gray brought the ball up and fired a fade-away jumper that clanked off the rim.
Luckily for the Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike was in perfect position for the offensive rebound and put up a shot that was blocked initially. Ogwumike got the ball back, regathered, and delivered a floater with her right hand as she's falling down with three seconds left.
The Lynx couldn't score in those seconds and Ogwumike flipped a finals result with her clutch basket in the championship-or-bust Game 5.
4. A'ja Wilson (2025, Game 3)
Despite it just happening, Wilson's shot deserves to be on this list.
The Mercury had stormed back in the game, tying it with a minute left after being down 17. After no team scored for 55 seconds, the Aces retained the ball and called timeout.
Coach Becky Hammon drew up a play for their 4x MVP and she delivered. Driving left towards the elbow, Wilson stopped, turned, and shot a fade-away over the outstretched arms of Alyssa Thomas. The ball hung on the rim for what felt like forever, then dropped in with less than a second left.
That was her 34th point - a franchise Finals record. Wilson has had plenty of defining moments in her career, and this shot may top that list.
3. Maya Moore (2015, Game 3)
One of the greatest players of all time makes the list with her unbelievable shot in Game 3 of the 2015 Finals.
The Indiana Fever battled the Minnesota Lynx in a series that would eventually go the distance until the Lynx came out victorious in Game 5 at home. The 2015 banner might be hanging in Indianapolis if not for Moore's buzzer-beating three with the series knotted at one a piece.
Tied at 77 with just 1.7 seconds on the clock, the Lynx were inbounding from half-court and had to get a shot off quickly.
Moore juked a defender to receive the ball at the top of the key, had the wherewithal to pump fake the shot which had her defender flying, then took one dribble to the right and fired an open three that swished in at the horn.
Her shot is iconic, but perhaps not as impressive as the final two on the list.
2. Sabrina Ionescu (2024, Game 3)
The trend of Game 3 game-winners continue with Sabrina Ionescu's miraculous shot against the Lynx.
Ionescu had already been enjoying a historic 2024 after she competed against Steph Curry in the first ever NBA vs. WNBA three-point shooting competition. Curry edged her 29-26, but Sabrina had more in store for 2024.
The Liberty and the Lynx met in maybe the best Finals of all time that included two overtimes and two other down-to-the-wire finishes.
One of those finishes was Game 3 that was even for most of the fourth quarter. Napheesa Collier made two clutch free throws to tie it at 77 with 16 seconds left.
Now, it's Sabrina's time. In isolation vs. Kayla McBride, Ionescu patiently waited for the clock to run down as she dribbled it back-and-forth in her hands near half-court. Then, with four seconds remaining, she made her move. Ionescu got a little closer to the three point line, hesitated, then stepped left and launched a 28-foot heave.
"And hit!" announcer Ryan Ruocco screamed as it swished in with one second left.
The distance of her shot will be remembered forever, but the number one shot on this list was put up from even further away.
1. Teresa Weatherspoon (1999, Game 2)
By far the most dated shot on this list, Weatherspoon's game-winner in Game 2 of the 1999 Finals will forever be hard to top.
In what was a best-of-three series between the Houston Comets and New York Liberty, the Comets were leading 1-0 with a chance to win it all on their home floor.
After Crystal Robinson tied the game at 65 for the Liberty with 15 seconds left, the Comets had a chance to win with one score.
They went to superstar Tina Robinson and she nailed a nine-footer to give the Comets the lead with two seconds left. The fans were going berserk, the confetti was being prepared to drop, and Comets' players were celebrating.
Remember, there were still two ticks on the clock. The Liberty had no timeouts so they had to inbound it immediately, and the ball ended up in Weatherspoon's hands 60 feet away from the basket.
She drove right, ran forward about 10 feet, then launched a 47-foot halfcourt heave with her strong arm that floated in the air for an eternity.
In that brief time the ball was in the air, everything stopped. Fans and players turned their heads and started to see the ball flying directly into the path of the basket. Breaths were held and teeth were clenched until it clanked off the backboard and went in.
Pandemonium ensued for the Liberty players and staff as the home crowd stood shocked.
In person, it's easier to see if the ball has the right trajectory on it to go in. As it got closer to the hoop, Liberty players said that they started believing that the shot might just go in.
It did go in for the greatest Finals game-winner in WNBA history, but the Liberty would go on to lose the series in Game 3.
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