Las Vegas Aces

Team information

Inaugural season: 1997, 2018 as Las Vegas Aces

Home arena: Michelob Ultra Arena, Paradise, Nevada

Owner: Mark Davis

Team colors: Red, black, gold, and silver

Overview

The Las Vegas Aces are an American basketball team that plays in the Western Conference of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team plays in the Michelob Ultra Arena on the grounds of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to becoming the Aces before the 2018 season, the team was known as the Utah Starzz, the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the San Antonio Stars. With the move to Las Vegas, the Aces became one of only a handful of WNBA teams to play in a city without a companion franchise in the men’s National Basketball Association (NBA).

Prior to moving to Las Vegas, the team made it to the championship finals series twice. In their first four years after the move, the Aces made it to the finals three times but failed to take home the championship. In 2021, the team was purchased by Mark Davis, the owner of the Las Vegas Raiders franchise in the National Football League (NFL). It was announced that a new training facility would be built for the Aces near the facility used by the Raiders. The team then beat the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals in 2022 to become WNBA champions.

History

The Las Vegas franchise began as the Utah Starzz, one of the original eight teams established when the WNBA was founded in 1997. The double Z at the end of the team’s name was a nod to their NBA counterpart, the Utah Jazz. Owned by Larry H. Miller, who also owned the Jazz, the team played its home games in the Delta Center. Their team colors were light blue, white, green, purple, and copper.

The team had little success during their six years in Utah. They had the worst record in the league during the WNBA’s inaugural season and earned the first pick in the 1998 entry draft. Even with this, the Starzz still struggled, finishing near the bottom of the league for several years even after the league began expanding.

It was their fifth season in 2001 before the team advanced to the playoffs. Their season ended when they were swept in the Western Conference semi-finals by Sacramento. In 2002, the Starzz notched their first playoff win. They defeated the Houston Comets 2–1 in the conference semi-finals. However, their championship hopes ended when they were beaten by the Los Angeles Sparks in the best-of-three conference finals.

The 2002 season was the last for the Starzz. The NBA decided that it was separating from the WNBA and Miller, and the Jazz decided they no longer wanted to own the Starzz. After an unsuccessful attempt to find buyers who would keep the team in Utah, the franchise was sold to Peter Holt, who also owned the San Antonio Spurs from the NBA. Holt moved the Starzz to San Antonio, Texas, where, beginning in 2003, they became known as the San Antonio Silver Stars.

The change in ownership, name, and hometown did not bring new success to the Silver Stars. Over their first four seasons in San Antonio, they lost 95 games while winning only 41 and failed to advance past regular season play. This changed for the 2007 season when the team added some solid acquisitions to the strongest of their core players. Trades put Becky Hammon and Ruth Riley on the roster, while Camille Little was added through the draft. Erin Buescher, the league’s most improved player from the 2006 season, also signed with the Silver Stars. The team finished second in the conference with a record of 20–14. They followed this by beating the Sacramento Monarchs in the best-of-three conference semi-finals but fell to Phoenix in the conference finals.

Building on the momentum of their 2007 season, the Silver Stars finished first in the conference in 2008, posting a record of 24–10. After beating Sacramento in the conference semi-finals and Los Angeles for the conference championship, they advanced to the WNBA championship series for the first time in franchise history. Their run at the championship ended when they were swept in the finals by the Detroit Shock, 3–0 in the best-of-five series.

From 2009 through 2012, the Silver Stars reached the playoffs but failed to advance past the conference semi-final series. They fell to Phoenix during the first two years and then to Minnesota and Los Angeles. In 2013, they finished with a record of 12–22 and failed to qualify for post-season play.

Before the 2014 season, the team dropped the “Silver” from their name and became known as the San Antonio Stars. At that time, they wore silver and black uniforms and played in the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Once again, the name change meant little on the court, and the team continued to struggle. They fell in the first round of playoffs to the Minnesota Lynx in 2014 and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the next three successive seasons.

On October 17, 2017, the WNBA approved the sale of the team from Holt and Spurs Sports & Entertainment to MGM Resorts. It was announced that the team would move to the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Two months later in December, the team’s new name—Las Vegas Aces—was made public. New uniforms in red, gold, black, and white were unveiled. A logo was created featuring a stylized diamond, similar to those on playing cards, with the team’s name and city rendered in red, white, and gold on a black background. Bill Laimbeer was hired as the team’s new head coach.

The renamed team finished in ninth place in their first season and missed the playoffs. However, their luck improved after that. In 2019, they finished fourth with a record of 21–13 and beat Chicago in the first playoff round to advance to the conference finals, where they fell to the Washington Mystics 3–1. In the 2020 season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, they finished in first place with a record of 18–4 for a .818 winning percentage. The Aces beat Connecticut in the conference finals to advance to the championship series for the second time in franchise history but were swept by Seattle.

In February 2021, the WNBA approved another sale of the team. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis acquired the team and announced that a new practice and office facility would be built near the facility used by the Raiders NFL team. The team finished first again in 2021 with a record of 24–8 and advanced to the conference finals, where they lost the best-of-five series to Phoenix 2–3. Next season proved to be more successful for the team, who secured the WNBA championship after defeating the Connecticut Sun 3–1 in a five game series. In 2023, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady purchased a minor share of the team. The Aces announced a season ticket sellout for 2024. It was the first time in the history of the league that a team sold out their season tickets.

Notable players

American-Russian point guard Becky Hammon is arguably the best player in franchise history for the team that became the Las Vegas Aces. She began her WNBA career in 1997 with the New York Liberty and was traded to San Antonio in 2007. She was part of the most successful rosters of the Texas franchise. She represented San Antonio during four of her six WNBA all-star games. In 2011, Hammon was named to the WNBA’s list of top players of all time. During the league’s twentieth anniversary season, she was named to the Top 20@20 list. Hammon retired from the WNBA in 2014 while still part of the San Antonio organization. She became the first player in the franchise’s history to have her jersey retired. Hammon went on to serve as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs NBA team.

Erin Buescher joined San Antonio in the same season as Hammon. She was voted the most improved player in the league the previous year, so people hoped that she could significantly contribute to the team. However, she was injured early in the season and spent the rest of the year recovering. While recuperating from reconstructive surgery to her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), she became part of the franchise’s broadcast team. She played only three games in 2008 before retiring.

A’ja Wilson was the Aces’ 2018 first-round draft choice and the first pick overall in that year’s entry draft. The former standout forward for the University of Southern Carolina became the WNBA rookie of the year in 2018. She made the all-star team in each of her first three seasons, though she missed the 2019 game due to an injury. Wilson finished her first season tied for third in WNBA scoring, in the same year that she had been named the college player of the year and was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) player of the year for the third time. In 2020, Wilson was named the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). She was awarded the honor again in 2022.

Liz Cambage became another first-round pick who made an impact on the Aces. Originally drafted by the Tulsa Shock in 2011, she became a member of the Aces in 2019. She was selected to the all-star team that year and was part of the Aces’ return to the conference finals after a five- year absence. Health concerns kept her from playing during the 2020 season. When she returned in 2021, Cambage was once again named to the all-star roster, her fourth career appearance in the event. Cambage left the Aces in 2023 to play with the Maccabi Bnot Ashdod of the Israeli female basketball premier league.

Bibliography

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Garcia, Jeff. Las Vegas Aces Set to Raise Spurs’ Becky Hammon’s Jersey.” KENS5, 10 Sept. 2021, www.kens5.com/article/sports/nba/spurs/las-vegas-aces-raise-spurs-becky-hammons-jersey-nba-san-antonio/273-a15902f2-132c-4a3c-875f-9d025070a2dc. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Grimalia, Mike. “Seven Reasons the Las Vegas Aces Will Win the WNBA Championship.” Las Vegas Sun, 23 Sept. 2021, m.lasvegassun.com/news/2021/sep/23/seven-reasons-the-las-vegas-aces-will-win-the-wnba/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Hernandez, Kristian. “3 Point Productions Plays a Major Role in Popularity of WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.” Sports Video Group, 27 Oct. 2021, www.sportsvideo.org/2021/10/27/3-point-productions-plays-major-role-in-popularity-of-wnbas-las-vegas-aces/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

“History of the WNBA.” Women’s National Basketball Association, 3 May 2002, www.wnba.com/news/history-of-the-wnba-2002/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Las Vegas Aces. Las Vegas Aces/Women’s National Basketball Association, aces.wnba.com/#. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Maloney, Jack. “Aces Beat Sun for 2022 WNBA Title as Las Vegas Captures First Championship in Franchise History." CBS Sports, 18 Sept. 2022, www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/aces-beat-sun-for-2022-wnba-title-as-las-vegas-captures-first-championship-in-franchise-history/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

Snel, Alan. “After Securing Spot in WNBA Semis, Las Vegas Aces Prep for Title Run in Postseason.” LV Sportsbiz, 18 Sept. 2021, lvsportsbiz.com/2021/09/18/after-securing-spot-in-wnba-semis-las-vegas-aces-prep/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.