A look back at the people, places and things that made for a memorable sports year in Las Vegas.
Aces/WNBA
The WNBA schedule released Tuesday also has the Las Vegas Aces for three games on ESPN2 — at the Phoenix Mercury on May 31, home against the Seattle Storm on July 23 and at the Sparks on Aug. 1.
WNBA rookie of the year A’ja Wilson has returned home Friday night from playing in China because of a minor right knee injury sustained in a game.
The current CBA was set to expire in 2021, and Aces center and team union representative Carolyn Swords said the the players association will seek improvements in three areas — salaries and compensation, the player experience and health and wellness.
WNBA players have exercised their right to terminate their collective bargaining agreement after the 2019 season, cutting the deal short by two years.
Aces star A’ja Wilson is checking in periodically from the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. It’s been a busy few weeks with USA training camp, winning WNBA Rookie of the Year and finally making the team.
Aces standouts A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum will represent USA Basketball at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup from Sept. 22 to 30 in Tenerife, Spain.
Aces stars A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum have earned roster spots on USA Basketball’s World Cup Team.
Wilson and Plum have been practing with USA Basketball since the first week of September and have excelled in a series of exhibition games in preparation for the World Cup, which starts Sept. 22 in Tenerife, Spain.
Breanna Stewart led the Seattle Storm to their WNBA title Wednesday night, scoring 30 points in a 98-82 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.
Breanna Stewart scored nine of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Storm held off the Washington Mystics 75-73 on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the WNBA Finals.
Wilson received all 39 votes from a national panel of journalists and broadcasters and will be presented with her award by league president Lisa Borders at George Washington University in Washington on Monday night ahead of Team USA’s exhibition game against Japan.
The Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics kick off the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
The Aces will pick first overall in the 2019 WNBA draft. The draft order was determined Tuesday during the WNBA draft lottery.
WNBA salaries top out at $110,000 while EuroLeague salaries start at around $100,000. Star players can earn perhaps hundreds of thousands more.