A’ja Wilson Asked Sheryl Swoopes For Advice on Back-To-Back Titles: ‘It’s the Finals. Schemes Don’t Matter’

The Las Vegas Aces are on the verge of winning the 2023 WNBA title. The Aces lead the New York Liberty, 2-0, in the best-of-five series, which continues with Game 3 on Sunday in New York.

And it's not just this year's championship on the line. Las Vegas is looking to become the first WNBA team to win back-to-back titles in 21 years.

So Aces star A'ja Wilson couldn't ask just any WNBA legend for advice. Earlier this month, the 2022 WNBA MVP reached out to Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, who led the Houston Comets to four straight titles from 1997 to 2000.

"I said, 'Listen, at this point of the season, it's the Finals, schemes don't matter. You gotta hoop,'" Swoopes, who retired in 2011, recounted on the Queens of the Court podcast, which she co-hosts with basketball journalist Jordan Robinson.

Swoopes wouldn't disclose all of the advice she shared with Wilson, but said her message focused on the big picture.

"At this point, it's all about who wants it more, who's gonna give that little extra, what edge do you have over, not just the team, but over the player that's guarding you and the player that you're guarding," Swoopes said.

Wilson reportedly got Swoopes' number from her college coach, Dawn Staley. Staley and Swoopes, while opponents in the WNBA, were teammates on three U.S. Olympic teams, winning gold each time.

"(Aja's) probably going to kill me for saying this, but it actually brought me to tears. She texted me probably a week ago, that was before Game 1 of the Finals, and she asked me for Sheryl Swoopes' number," Staley told CBS Sports. "She said, 'I need her number because I want to know how to repeat.'"

Evidently, Swoopes' advice is paying off.

Wilson is averaging 22.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and two blocks in Las Vegas' first two wins of the series. However, with Game 3 is set for Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Wilson will have to continue to "hoop" in order for the Aces to become the first repeat WNBA champion in 21 years.