Going into Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, there was no doubt amongst several fans about how the matchup would go. After all, after winning all of the last 3 games, the Las Vegas Aces held a -2 odds in their favor. Analysts like Ice Young and Cassandra Negley were openly saying that “I’ll just give it to the Aces. Sure. Do I have solid reasoning? No.” However, there is overconfidence, and then there is what Nike just did with the help of ESPN.

According to reports, ESPN ran Nike’s championship ad for A’ja Wilson and co while Game 4 was still being played! In fact, the matchup was in its 3rd quarter when the ad ran, with around 5:28 seconds remaining.

The ad started off with an exterior shot of the Las Vegas skyline, featuring iconic sites like the Luxor Hotel & Casino, the Las Vegas Strip, etc. Then, the view panned out to reveal ‘Sin City’ being reflected on the basketball-shaped top of the WNBA championship trophy, which was traveling on a plane seat. On the next seat was a champagne bottle and an Aces jersey hanging on the side. A caption appeared on the video later that read “Back to Back and back again”. It then ended with the iconic “Just Do It” slogan and the Nike logo.

Besides being a major sponsor of the WNBA, Nike has a personal connection to the Las Vegas Aces. It was only last year when A’ja Wilson signed a 6-year extension with Nike in what was described as “one of the richest shoe deals for a women’s basketball player”. In May 2024, Wilson was named to Nike’s roster of signature athletes. Her signature shoe, the “A’One”, was released in May 2025, and immediately sold out within 5 minutes during its limited online release. Therefore, it makes sense why the billion-dollar brand would create an ad to celebrate the Aces’ potential win.

Nike would have most likely prepared the ad as a contingency plan to ensure the network it gives it to puts it on the air as soon as the Aces are declared the winners of Game 4 and, subsequently, the winners of the 2025 WNBA tournament. Only they didn’t expect that ESPN would put it out there right in the middle of the game! Therefore, the incident didn’t win ESPN any affection from the WNBA fanbase.

WNBA Fans Crīticize A’ja Wilson and Co. Being Celebrated Before Championship Win

One social media user wrote, “And yet y’all still don’t think these sports are rigged 😂“.

Well, in defense of ESPN, the odds before the game had the Aces leading. When the ad aired, the Las Vegas Aces were up 64-49, aka by a 15-point margin. Then again, the Phoenix Mercury did recover from a 17-point deficit in Game 3, even if they lost that matchup.

One individual wrote, “They ran ads during play in the Knights/Sharks game last night too. Fix your s**t @espn”. ESPN has reportedly been having a good year in terms of ad revenue, with the same growing 15% to $1.29 billion. This has been thanks in large part to higher rates negotiated for ESPN’s live sports coverage. Therefore, the same is expected to be at every live sports game that the network covers. However, when dealing with so many ads, one should be more careful about seeing which ad goes with which.

One social media user wrote “Messy 🤣🤣🤣🤣”. Well, premature celebrations aren’t anything new. Back in 1969, during the NBA championship game, the Lakers had prematurely arranged ‘World Champion Lakers’ balloons in the rafters before they’d even won. Well, that was more embarrassing than the modern incident, since Bill Russell’s Celtics destroyed the Lakers’ overconfidence and rode off into the sunset with the team’s 11th ring.

However, not everyone was against ESPN. One individual wrote, “Seriously who thought Phoenix had a chance. They’re just postponing the inevitable”. The Phoenix Mercury entered the playoffs with a determined mind. Especially Alyssa Thomas, who had been quite open about seeking redemption after the Aces had defeated her and the Connecticut Sun squad during the 2022 Finals. However, the team lost 3 consecutive games. Furthermore, it suffered from the loss of star player Satou Sabally, too, as she had to be ruled ‘OUT’ after reportedly sustaining a concussion.

One social media user wrote, “I know right 😂 just a but to early I’d say😂😂”. The situation would have certainly been more embarrassing if A’ja Wilson and co hadn’t won. Fortunately, that was not the case.

Overall, the majority of reactions saw people not being too pleased with ESPN. Whether the network chooses to address this lapse in the coming hours, or just let time run its course and have people forget about it is something that remains to be seen.