Everything you need to know before the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty WNBA Finals - ESPN

Whispers of the return of WNBA superteams started in late January as the 2023 free agency period opened.

On Jan. 28, the first domino fell. Unrestricted free agent Candace Parker announced she was headed to the Las Vegas Aces. The defending champion already was returning all of its starters from the 2022 title team — including A'ja Wilson — and now was adding a two-time MVP.

On Feb. 1, when players could officially sign contracts and offer sheets, the New York Liberty locked in Breanna Stewart in the biggest move in WNBA free agent history. Just 24 hours later, the Liberty added point guard Courtney Vandersloot. Those moves, after trading for 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones two weeks earlier, sparked immediate superteam talk.

With months to go before the season opened, many experts penciled in the Aces and Liberty for a WNBA Finals matchup.

But there were questions: How quickly would the Liberty get all the pieces put together? Could the Aces book a return trip to the championship series? The answers have been answered emphatically. After months of talk of superteams and destiny, the 2023 WNBA Finals matchup many envisioned tips off Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN App).

The series has the potential to be epic. The Finals will feature a trio of former MVPs, five former No. 1 draft picks and two of the best point guards in the world.

And now, after the longest season in league history (the WNBA expanded its regular season to 40 games this summer), the question is whether the Aces will become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02, or whether the Liberty — the last remaining original franchise yet to win a title — will finally get their first?

ESPN looks at how the teams match up.