Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes has been named the 2024 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, the league announced on Friday. Hayes, who came out of retirement to join the Aces in the middle of the season, will be honored before Game 3 of the team's semifinal series against the New York Liberty.
In December 2023, Hayes announced that she was retiring from the WNBA after 11 seasons in the league. Then, out of nowhere, the Aces signed her to a contract for the remainder of the season in May. She put up 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in her first game, and never looked back.
"I was just going to shoot my shot, to be quite honest," Aces coach Becky Hammon said last month. "The worst she can say is no to us. She just basically said she was retiring from the WNBA. She didn't say [she] was retiring from basketball. So to me, that kind of left the door a little bit open. … I had always loved her game. I always loved her as a competitor. And I've always loved her vibe. … I've always got a role for ballers — microwave scorers."
Hayes appeared in 33 games, 28 of which were as a reserve, and became a key part of the Aces' attempt to fix their season after a slow start. She averaged 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 50% shooting overall, including 40.2% from behind the arc, which was the third-best mark of her career and good for 10th in the league.
Among all players who appeared in more games as a reserve than a starter, and qualified for the league's official leaderboard, Hayes ranked first in points per game and total points (313).
Hayes' arrival gave the Aces, who finished last in the league in bench scoring in each of the past two seasons, a real boost. The team still lacks overall depth, but in Hayes they finally have a player who can change the game off the bench. It happened earlier in the playoffs, when Hayes sparked a huge comeback win over the Seattle Storm in Game 1 of the first round.
"That's our game changer," 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson said. "She's really one of our X factors when it comes to just, when we need anything, whether it's a stop, whether it's energy, whether it's a bucket, we turn to Tiff."
The Aces will need a big game from Hayes on Friday as they look to keep their season alive against the top-seeded Liberty.