Champion Aces bring the party to Drai’s on the Strip
This was a uniquely Las Vegas celebration: Bingo, then bottle service.
The Aces’ victory parade on Friday night was a victory stroll into Drai’s Nightclub at The Cromwell, after the team played bingo at Green Valley Ranch.
The @LVAces arrival for @WNBA victory party @DraisLV #Vegas @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/tWLk4XeHCj
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) October 21, 2023
The team arrived at Drai’s rooftop nightspot at about 12:15 a.m., taking over three VIP booths at stage left. A’ja Wilson, Sydney Colson, Kiah Stokes, Chelsea Gray, Alysha Clark, Alaina Coates, Sydney Colson, Cayla George and Kelsey Plum were in the mix. The team was in the club well past 2 a.m., at least, from the time stamps on social media.
The left-handed Wilson arrived with a purple cast on her left hand and wrist, a strong indication she played injured during the WNBA finals. The Aces were celebrating their 70-69 road victory over the New York Liberty on Wednesday night, taking the title in four games.
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Rapper Tee Grizzley was the night’s headliner. It was the second straight year the Aces partied at Drai’s after winning the title. The club is operated by Strip nightlife icons Victor Drai and his son, Dustin Drai.
The bingo session played out at what was once Ovation Showroom (fondly remembered by longtime Vegas music fans). Wilson posted that she’d won a modest jackpot. “Winner, winner,” Wilson whispered during an Instagram video of her Bingo win. She panned her teammates, “Losers, loser,” landing at Stokes. Then Plum answered, “No, winner.
Some of the Aces rocked wigs during the night, Wilson in purple, Stokes in orange and Plum in pink. Plum also sported what seemed to be a customized No. 88 Darren Waller jersey from his days at Georgia Tech, the left side in blue and the right in white. The jersey featured an Orange Bowl patch from when Tech beat Mississippi State in 2014, Waller’s senior season.
The Aces’ formal victory parade is set for 5 p.m. Monday starting at Tropicana Avenue and the Strip and moving northbound to T-Mobile Arena. Fans are encouraged to convene on the route, as T-Mobile Arena opens at 3 p.m.
The team logo was branded around the club. The round place mats on the VIP cocktail tables showed an Aces team photo with the message “BACK-TO-BACK WNBA CHAMPIONS 2022-23” and the team’s two WNBA championship trophies.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
