LeBron James in attendance as Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces
The New York Liberty got its much-awaited 2023 WNBA Finals rematch against the Las Vegas Aces, with Lakers star LeBron James in attendance. This is the first time that these two teams faced off against each other since the Aces won Game 4 of their matchup as well as the 2023 championship.
While it isn’t anywhere close to becoming champions, the Liberty still got some sweet revenge over the team that snatched the 2023 championship from under their noses.
After the game, LeBron James took the time to congratulate the Liberty squad on their well-earned victory against the defending champions.
.@KingJames congratulating the
@nyliberty on their big win 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GsSGYLf5Mk— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 15, 2024
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Jonquel Jones scored 34 points to lead the Liberty while 2023 league MVP Breanna Stewart added 14 points. Sabrina Ionescu (15 points) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (12 pts) both scored in the double-figures for New York.
These contributions on offense helped the Liberty come away with a 12-point victory (90-82). With this win, the team also improves to 12-2. They are one of three teams to have reached double-figure wins already after this point in the season with the other two being the Connecticut Sun (12-1) and the Minnesota Lynx (10-3).
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Aces are off to an unexpectedly rough start to their season. They are sitting squarely at .500 with a 6-6 record. With this loss, they have now dropped four of their last five games.
LeBron James is yet to announce his decision regarding his player option
While the four-time MVP is taking the time to enjoy the summer by watching some WNBA games, the NBA fans and media are eagerly awaiting updates on an impending decision from him. Will LeBron James pick up his player option and remain with the LA Lakers for one more season?
LeBron can opt out of the final year of his contract due to his player option which will make him an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018 when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second time.
Despite being 39 years old, plenty of teams would still sign LeBron if given the chance. However, some people in the league believe that he would remain with the Lakers on a restructured deal even if he opts out of his contract.
However, the Lakers will need to make another important decision before thinking about LeBron and his contract. That decision being who to hire as their new head coach after their deal with UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley fell through.
While there are some strong finalists in James Borrego and JJ Redick, the LA front office is yet to make a decision on who will helm the team for the next few seasons at least.
