The Las Vegas Aces won their third WNBA title in four years and solidified themselves as a dynasty, but according to head coach Becky Hammon, this championship “hits different, because it was different.” The Aces’ struggles this past season are well-documented.

Through the first 28 games of the season, the Aces’ record was a middling 14-14, and then after an embarrassing 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on August 2, the Aces decided to never lose again in the 2025 regular season. They capped off the year with a 16-game win streak to propel them to second in the standings and finished the regular season with a 30-14 record.

Fast forward to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. After their Game 1 win, A’ja Wilson revealed that prior to the game, Becky Hammon played a storytelling video for them that included clips of the players from high school and college. Apparently, that wasn’t the first time Hammon had a video created for the team.

While the turnaround in the Aces’ season was both remarkable and historic, it’s not surprising that Becky Hammon had to reach deep into her coaching bag to help keep her team motivated as they worked through adversity. Apparently mid-season, Hammon solicited the help of Katie Morgan, Vice President of Creative Storytelling for the Las Vegas Aces. Hammon didn’t reveal too many details about that video, but said it was one of Morgan’s “best videos” and that “they like watching it over and over again.”

Katie Morgan is an Emmy Award winner and the brainchild behind the “Aces vs. Everybody” documentary, which tells the story of the Aces’ journey to becoming the first back-to-back WNBA Champions in more than two decades. Hammon sung the praises of Morgan describing her as “really good at her job.” Hammon also said she texts Morgan to let her know how good she is at her job. Hammon couldn’t stop gushing over the Aces VP. “I mean, she just has a way with words…the videos on YouTube that she does, I mean, they’re very well done. The music, the voiceovers, I mean, she just got that it factor with that.”

Over the course of the WNBA Finals, it’s been confirmed that Morgan created at least two videos for the Aces that were played for the team ahead of Games 1 and 4. When asked in their championship presser whether a video had been created ahead of Game 4, A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray responded that “it was good.”

While many things over the course of a season contribute to a team’s success, it was clear after talking to Becky Hammon and the entire Aces’ roster about the video created for the team ahead of Game 1, that these videos have special meaning to the team and did help them while trying to navigate a turbulent season.

The Las Vegas Aces players and Becky Hammon’s interviews with NBC Sports were lightly edited for length and clarity.

Can you elaborate more on the video that Becky [Hammon] showed [the team] ahead of game [1]?

A’ja Wilson: Yeah. It was just, it had different clips from us winning, losing, at a young age and how we sometimes, you know, in that stage, that’s the end of the world if you lose. Like, that’s all you know. But then, it just kind of fast forward[ed] to us winning and losing now and how it’s really built us as women. Like, those young girls that dreamt of being on the Finals stage, in high school, winning our championships there to now competing for one as an adult, how those feelings don’t really necessarily change. They just kind of grow with you. And the people that you meet along the way have all become your sisters, and now you’re doing something bigger. And you’re now living your dream. And it was just a lot of fun just to see us all at the high school level to where we are now.

Dana Evans: I thought it was super dope that they were able to dig up videos of us in AAU, in high school, and it just goes to show how much work we’ve put in to be in this position. And I think that was her whole message. And it really turned everybody up because I remember being in high school. This was always a dream. And now that I’m living in it, just taking full advantage of the moment, it just brought back a lot of memories.

Jewell Loyd: We were all kind of surprised she found clips of us in high school and just our journey. Sometimes it’s nice to reflect on how you started, why you started to play the game. And so, it was nice for us to have a special moment of just, you know, us being kids, playing the game that we loved, and now we’re all in the locker room trying to chase a dream that most of us had since we were little girls.

Kierstan Bell: I think we always put, like, a little video together. I think it just motivates us to go out there and, put on our best, performance. But I think it just goes to show, like, we all dream to be in this position. I think that video really just showed our younger selves fighting and working to be in this exact position, being in the Finals in the WNBA championship. And so, I don’t know. I think just watching it, it gives you chills because, like, dang, like, I was young. Never thought I would be here. But as a little girl you always think and dream about that stuff. So, it was exciting to watch. It always gives me goosebumps. So, watching videos like that is inspiring, and, you know, I’m just happy to be here with this group.

Aaliyah Nye: The video, it was basically all of us in high school, and how we’ve just made it far, in college, and then now we’re here. So, it’s just showing us how all the hard work has paid off, and it got us here to this point. So, just keep working.

Jackie Young: You know, it just kind of puts into perspective how far we’ve come. But, yeah, it was a it was a cute surprise. Everybody was like, oh, wow. You know? Just seeing everybody in their high school uniforms. But, yeah, it was pretty cool. She always does something special before games.

Chelsea Gray: We weren’t expecting it. I think it started off with Meg [Gustafson], and she was young. I was like, what is going on? And it was just, it was a bright spot for us. Got us a little loose. The messaging came across really well.

Kiah Stokes: Well, Katie [Morgan], who’s one of our video people, does a great job of these videos before the game. But, there was just a message with the video. It showed clips of all of us in high school and college winning, losing. It was just really motivational saying, like, we’ve worked your whole life to get in this spot. Like, not a lot of people can say that they’ve been in the Finals. Not a lot of people can say they’ve won a championship at any level. So, it was just kind of an homage to where we’ve come from, where we started to where we are now, and to just seize the moment and just take advantage while we have the opportunity.

Megan Gustafson: It was just kind of funny seeing myself then and how how much I’ve grown and how much my game has expanded since then. But, yeah, I think it was really special. I mean, being able to see my teammates and how they’ve grown through the years too, I think it just brought extra meaning to [the] game and, like, it really grounded you. Like, yeah. We’re really here and just enjoying every moment too.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus: It was, super emotional. It made me cry, but in a good way because seeing myself, it made me reflect on everything I’ve been doing all the way from the beginning and just how far I’ve come and just to be here in this moment, super special. So, yeah, it made me cry.

NaLyssa Smith: I think it’s crazy. I mean, we all see each other, like, seen each other from high school and it’s just like, damn, it’s crazy to see that we’re in the WNBA Finals living out that dream that we all dreamed about.

[The video] was shown to you right before game [1]?

Dana Evans: Right before the game. Yeah. It was like a lead up video. So it’s basically, like, some people were in AAU, some people were in high school, and then it was, like, going to college, and then it was, like, the transition. So, it was a dope video. Katie [Morgan] and Kris [Lumague] do a great job with the videos.

Was it a hype up video?

Jewell Loyd: I think it was hyped up. Yeah. It was, you know, probably a little emotional too, just seeing us, all of us seeing each other from different high schools at different points of our life, understanding how much we’ve sacrificed to get here. Some of the pictures, we we were like, oh my god. You look so young. You know, time’s flying, but, it definitely allowed us to kind of realize the moment and how special it is.

What kind of impact do you think the video had?

A’ja Wilson: I think it was a huge impact because those are moments that you kind of forget. Like, you forget those moments kind of happen. You see glimpses of it, obviously, because of your memory. But when you actually can see it and you see your teammates, we were all going through the same thing at the same age. We just didn’t know each other yet. And now God has made a path for us to now do it all over again, but as adults with different people. And I love them. I love my teammates to death. And seeing their journey to get to this point, it’s truly something special.

Aaliyah Nye: I thought it was very impactful because it does show us how far we’ve come and how hard we’ve worked to get here, and I thought it was a cool video.

Jackie Young: I think it just kind of puts into perspective how far we’ve come. When I was in high school I was dreaming about these moments, and now, I’m finally here playing in the Finals. And so, yeah, it’s just like a dream come true, honestly.

Chelsea Gray: You’ve worked this hard to come this far. You’ve been doing this for a long time in your life. Embrace it and have fun doing it.

Megan Gustafson: I mean, I think everyone knows the gravity of what [the] Finals means, but at the the same time, it’s great to have that moment to remind you this is an amazing place to be and how thankful we are. So, I think it also made it fun too. Just, like, go out there and have fun. I mean, these are the moments that we dreamed of as little girls, you know, even in high school and stuff. We wanted to be in these moments, so it’s a good reminder.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus: One thing that we all do, we come together when times get hard. So, just seeing everybody young and stuff and just having that moment together, it was nice. It was special.

NaLyssa Smith: I mean, it showed all of us when we were younger, and I think it just shows, like, us living out our dreams. And I think that just makes you more appreciative for the moment.

What kind of footage did [the video] include of you?

Kierstan Bell: Had me out here looking like Floyd Mayweather. My handshake, it was like something with me like, me dodging or something like that. And everybody probably doesn’t know, but A’ja did it when we do our little celebration before we go out. But, you know, we always pick on each other. We always get on each other’s nerves. So, it’s just fun to do. It’s fun to be here.

Jackie Young: It was, like, back at Princeton, in high school, you know, playing in a basketball game, in our red jersey. I remember that. But, yeah, somebody had actually sent me a video recently of it, and I think that’s where they got it from.

Chelsea Gray: I was hugging my mom after the state championship in high school, and then I had hit a buzzer beater and our team was together, in high school.

Kiah Stokes: It just showed a couple, me celebrating my state championship in high school and then celebrating a college championship at UConn, and then just a few plays. But they had literally clips of everyone. It was just cute. And then just to see, you see Meg as a teenager. You see KB (Kierstan Bell) as a teenager. It was really exciting and cute. And, I think it obviously did its job.

Megan Gustafson: It was funny. The video actually started with my highlights in high school. It was the moment when I broke the Wisconsin all-time girls’ scoring record in high school. Obviously, that was a really cool moment.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus: It was me at college with my husband, at the time he was my boyfriend, but we were doing this ball handling drill in between the legs. It was funny.

NaLyssa Smith: It had clips of me from college, you know, winning a national championship. So, it’s funny to see that.

Becky [Hammon] mentioned that there was a video she showed mid-year, and it was one that everyone really loves a lot. Do you know which one she’s referencing?

NaLyssa Smith: I think the one you’re talking about, it just showed where a lot of people was doubting us and just to show where we’re at now and just proving a lot of people wrong that counted us out.

Do you think [the videos] help the team?

NaLyssa Smith: Absolutely. I think it motivates you. It just shows that, we’re living proof of, you know, just living out our dreams like I said, and I think that helps us out a lot.

How do you decide when you want to have [a video] made for [the team]?

Becky Hammon: Sometimes it’s based on where I feel we are mentally and emotionally. One of the best videos [Katie Morgan] made was in the middle of the season, and that one, I know that one hit them different. They like watching it over and over again. A lot of video is just to show them being great. Like, I want the last vision of them coming out of the locker room being great.