Australian Opals star Cayla George scored 11 points as she joined an elite club as a WNBA champion after the Las Vegas Aces became the first team in two decades to win back-to-back titles.
George, who joined the Aces before this season, became the 11th Australian to win a WNBA title, a list that includes the legendary Lauren Jackson as well as Penny Taylor, Erin Phillips and current Opals teammate Ezi Magbegor.
In a thrilling fourth game of the championship series, the Aces held on for a 70-69 over the New York Liberty, coached by Opals mentor Sandy Brondello, to seal a 3-1 series win and a second-successive championship.
This season was a fourth for George in the WNBA and she made her first playoff start in the fourth game of the series, played in New York, after injuries to starting point guard Chelsea Gray and starting centre Kiah Stokes.
“This group has been forged out of adversity,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said after the win.
”They weren‘t put together based on super-team expectations. They sucked for a long time … They’ve earned this moment, they’ve earned this opportunity, and so now it’s just on us to go grab it.”
The Aces became the first team in 21 seasons to record back-to-back championships.
George entered the WNBA after being named the WNBL MVP in Australia last season.
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