Aces WNBA Finals Run Could Leave Connecticut Sun with Dubious Distinction

The Connecticut Sun may be left with a distinction they would rather forget once the WNBA Finals have concluded.

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) reacts after missing a basket against the Phoenix Mercury during the third quarter of game one of the 2025 WNBA Finals at Michelob Ultra Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Connecticut Sun is about as far away from the WNBA Finals as a franchise can get.

Players and fans will be spectators when the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces face each other in the first best-of-7 WNBA Finals in league history. The Mercury are seeking their fourth championship in franchise history and their first without the legendary Diana Taurasi. The Aces — who won Game 1 of the series on Friday, 89-86 — are seeking their third title in the last four seasons.

The Sun and their fans may be pulling for the Mercury for a variety of reasons. One could be the fact that if the Aces win the series, it leaves Connecticut in possession of a rather dubious league mark.

WNBA Regular Season Winning Streak

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

ESPN gathered the longest regular season winning streaks in WNBA history. The Sun made the list with their 14-game winning streak in the 2021 regular season. The complete list is below.

Los Angeles Sparks, 18 (2001)

Las Vegas Aces, 16 (2025)

Phoenix Mercury, 16 (2014)

Houston Comets, 15 (1998)

Connecticut Sun, 14 (2021)

Las Vegas Aces, 13 (2024)

Minnesota Lynx, 13 (2016)

Minnesota Lynx, 13 (2011-12)

Seattle Storm, 13 (2010)

The Sparks, the Mercury and the Comets all share something in common. Each team won the WNBA championship that season. If the Aces beat the Mercury, they’ll do the same. It would also leave the Sun as the franchise with the longest winning streak in WNBA regular-season history without a championship in the season of that streak.

Connecticut, led by Jonquel Jones, went 26-6 in 2021 and was first place in the Eastern Conference. Jones was a force, as he led the team with 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Jasmine Thomas added 4.0 assists per game. The roster also included two players that are with the Mercury in the finals — DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas.

Coached by Curt Miller, the Sun fell in four games to the Chicago Sky in the first round of the playoffs, robbing the franchise of a chance to win its first WNBA title. The Sky reached the WNBA Finals and led by Candace Parker, beat the Phoenix Mercury, 3-1, in a five-game series.  

The Sun are a long way from that team. Connecticut’s 11 wins was the second-worst in franchise history. The team could be sold and moved at some point. Several veterans, including Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey, are free agents. And no one in the league can do anything until the players and the WNBA reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

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