Breaking down Liberty, Aces' divergent paths since 2023 WNBA Finals matchup

The two teams will meet for the final time this regular season on Sunday

By Jack Maloney Sep 8, 2024 at 1:31 pm ET• 5 min read

On Sunday, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces will travel to Brooklyn to face the top-seeded New York Liberty in the last Finals rematch of the regular season. The Liberty won the first two without too much trouble, establishing themselves as the best team in the league in the process. 

New York enters at 28-6, and will soon claim the No. 1 overall seed for the playoffs, while the Aces, even with their current four-game winning streak, are stuck in fourth place at 22-10. 

Now, with the two rivals on course for a semifinal showdown in this season's playoffs, the third and final meeting will either reassert the Liberty's dominance or give the Aces some confidence that they can still make a run at a threepeat. Ahead of tip off, which is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN, here's a look back at how we've gotten to this point. 

Offseason changes

Aces have key departures, injuries

One of the major reasons these two teams' paths have diverged came before the season even started when future Hall of Famer Candace Parker announced her retirement. The news came as a major surprise considering Parker had signed a new one-year contract just months earlier. There's no way to truly replace someone like Parker, but the Aces never even had a chance to try since her decision came well after free agency had wrapped up.