Aces' Bill Laimbeer Passes Brian Agler for No. 2 on WNBA's All-Time Wins List

Las Vegas Aces coach Bill Laimbeer moved into second place on the WNBA's all-time coaches wins list Thursday.

The Aces earned a 94-82 win over the New York Liberty to give Laimbeer 288 career wins, breaking a tie with Brian Agler. Washington Mystics coach Mike Thibault is the sport's winningest head coach with 346 wins (and counting).

Laimbeer, a four-time All-Star and two-time champion during his NBA career, has put together a decorated career since starting coaching in 2002. He led the Detroit Shock from 2002-2009, winning three championships in the process, before a brief stint as an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009-2011.

After failing to secure an NBA head coaching position, Laimbeer returned to the WNBA in 2012 as the coach and general manager of the Liberty. He spent five seasons in New York, failing to replicate his success in Detroit, before he moved on to the expansion Aces ahead of the 2018 campaign.

Las Vegas missed the playoffs in its inaugural season but has been among the WNBA's best each of the last two years. The Aces made their first Conference Finals in 2019 and reached the Finals for the first time in the WNBA bubble last year. 

 “He has a large personality to go with his physique, and he coaches kind of like he played. He wants to have an intimidating team," Thibault said of Laimbeer in 2019. 

The Aces are off to a stellar 6-3 start in the 2021 regular season.