Aces coach Becky Hammon passes Phil Jackson in history books with shocking stat

Jeremy Beren

Aces coach Becky Hammon passes Phil Jackson in history books with shocking stat image

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

When the Las Vegas Aces woke up on the morning of Aug. 3, they would have looked at the standings and saw themselves with a .500 record. At 14-14, the Aces were in a battle just to reach the WNBA playoffs; few would have expected A'ja Wilson and company to rip off a 16-game winning streak to end the season.

But that's precisely what happened. Wilson, who won her fourth MVP award last month, helped the Aces qualify for the playoffs as the #2 seed -- and on Tuesday, Las Vegas eliminated the Indiana Fever to reach the WNBA Finals for the third time in four years under head coach Becky Hammon.

MORE: Las Vegas Aces advance to WNBA Finals

The 90-83 overtime win against the Fever saw Hammon carve out a slice of professional basketball history. Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star and a former assistant with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, moved to 9-1 all-time in playoff series: a .900 winning percentage that saw her pass the legendary Phil Jackson for the best postseason record of any head coach.

Between the regular season and the WNBA playoffs, Hammon boasts a 141-52 record with the Aces -- who will enter the 2025 finals as slight favorites over the fourth-seeded Phoenix Mercury. However the season ends in Vegas, the Aces' turnaround has proven Hammon's greatness once again.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.