Las Vegas Aces facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Las Vegas Aces
Conference	Western
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1997
History	Utah Starzz 1997–2002 San Antonio Silver Stars 2003–2013 San Antonio Stars 2014–2017 Las Vegas Aces 2018–present
Arena	Michelob Ultra Arena
Location	Paradise, Nevada
Team colors	Black, metallic silver, white
Main sponsor	Ally Financial
President	Nikki Fargas
General manager	Vacant
Head coach	Becky Hammon
Assistant(s)	Tyrone Ellis Nola Henry Charlene Thomas-Swinson Larry Lewis
Ownership	Mark Davis (majority) Tom Brady (minority)
Championships	3 (2022, 2023, 2025)
Conference titles	1 (2008)
Commissioner's Cup titles	1 (2022)
Retired numbers	1 (25)

The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces play in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the Western Conference. They host their home games at the Michelob Ultra Arena inside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The club has its main headquarters in Henderson, Nevada. The team earned three national titles by winning the 2022 WNBA Finals, the 2023 WNBA Finals, and the 2025 WNBA Finals.

The franchise began in Salt Lake City as the Utah Starzz before the 1997 WNBA season. Later, the team moved to Texas before the 2003 WNBA season and became the San Antonio Silver Stars. That name was changed to the San Antonio Stars in 2014. The club relocated to Nevada before the 2018 WNBA season. Football team owner Mark Davis and former quarterback Tom Brady own the team. The Aces have featured famous stars like Becky Hammon, Sophia Young, Dearica Hamby, and great MVP winner A'ja Wilson.

History of the Las Vegas Aces Basketball Franchise

Early Years as the Utah Starzz

The franchise began as one of the eight original teams in the WNBA. The club took the name Utah Starzz partly to honor an older ABA team called the Utah Stars. It also used two letters "z" just like the NBA team named the Utah Jazz. The team was originally owned by Larry H. Miller. In their opening year during the 1997 season, the squad struggled and finished in last place under head coach Denise Taylor.

Because of their record, the Starzz earned the top pick in the 1998 WNBA draft. The club picked a seven-foot-two-inch center named Margo Dydek. Dydek became the tallest player in league history. Head coach Frank Layden joined the team in 1998 to help guide the players. Later, coach Fred Williams took charge of the team. The group posted a winning record in 2000 behind strong play from forward Natalie Williams.

The Starzz reached the playoffs for the first time in the 2001 season under coach Candi Harvey. The team lost in the opening round to the Sacramento Monarchs. The next year, during the 2002 season, the squad played even better. They defeated the Houston Comets in the first round of the postseason. However, their exciting playoff run ended when they lost against the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Move to San Antonio and the Silver Stars

After the 2002 season ended, the Utah Jazz owners decided to sell the basketball club. The team found a new home when Peter Holt, the owner of the San Antonio Spurs, purchased the franchise. The team moved to San Antonio and became the San Antonio Silver Stars. They began wearing silver and black jerseys, just like the local Spurs basketball team.

The team faced several tough losing seasons at first. Coach Harvey and coach Dee Brown tried to rebuild the roster. In 2005, Dan Hughes became the new head coach and helped the team improve. The team traded for talented guard Becky Hammon in 2007. They also added forward Sophia Young, center Ruth Riley, and guard Helen Darling from the Charlotte Sting dispersal draft.

The new group clicked right away and reached the playoffs in 2007 by beating Sacramento before falling to the Phoenix Mercury. In the 2008 season, the Silver Stars finished with the best record in the West. They reached the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. In that championship series, they played hard but lost to the Detroit Shock.

The team reached the postseason again during the 2010 season under coach Sandy Brondello. In the 2012 playoffs, the squad lost to the Los Angeles Sparks. The club later shortened its name to the San Antonio Stars. During the 2014 playoffs, the team was eliminated by the Minnesota Lynx. Former player Vickie Johnson later served as head coach during the team's final season in Texas.

Moving to Las Vegas and Becoming Champions

The club's first Las Vegas logo, used from 2017 to 2024.

In late 2017, Spurs Sports & Entertainment decided to sell the team. Entertainment company MGM Resorts bought the club and moved it to Nevada. Officials announced the team would be called the Las Vegas Aces. The team began playing games inside the Michelob Ultra Arena in 2018. Former basketball star Bill Laimbeer took over as head coach.

With the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, the Aces selected college superstar A'ja Wilson. Wilson quickly became a dominant force on the court. In 2020, the team advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals, where they faced the Seattle Storm. In early 2021, football owner Mark Davis bought the club from MGM. Davis hired Nikki Fargas as president and signed former player Becky Hammon as head coach.

Coach Hammon led the team to instant success during the 2022 season. The Aces defeated Phoenix and Seattle in the playoffs. They then beat the Connecticut Sun to claim the 2022 WNBA Finals championship. It marked the first major league sports title for the city of Las Vegas. The team also won the special Commissioner's Cup trophy that same year.

In 2023, football legend Tom Brady joined the Aces as a minority team owner. The team built a brand-new training facility in Henderson. The team finished with the best regular season record and returned to the finals. In the 2023 WNBA Finals, the Aces defeated the New York Liberty to win their second straight trophy.

A'ja Wilson playing against the Minnesota Lynx.

The Aces made another incredible championship run during the 2025 season. In the opening rounds, the squad defeated the Storm and the Indiana Fever. In the 2025 WNBA Finals, the Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in four straight games. That victory gave the franchise its third league championship in just four seasons.

Franchise Records by Season

Players and Team Legends

Retired Numbers

The Las Vegas Aces honor outstanding players by retiring their jersey number. Retiring a number means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again.

Notable Former Players

Many famous stars have played for the franchise throughout its history across Utah, San Antonio, and Las Vegas:

• Wendy Palmer-Daniel, an original scoring leader for the Utah Starzz
• Elena Baranova, a top rebounder during the early league years
• Natalie Williams, an all-star rebounder and former team general manager
• Jennifer Azzi, an Olympic gold medalist who played point guard
• Adrienne Goodson, a high-scoring forward for the Starzz
• Margo Dydek, the tallest player in WNBA history
• Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson, a fast and skilled point guard
• Sophia Young, an all-star forward who led San Antonio for many seasons
• Ann Wauters, a tall center from Belgium who helped lead the 2008 finals run
• Danielle Robinson, a lightning-fast playmaker who led the team in assists
• Kayla McBride, an outside shooting specialist who starred for the Stars and Aces
• Dearica Hamby, a two-time winner of the Sixth Woman of the Year award
• Liz Cambage, an all-star center who set records inside the paint
• Kelsey Plum, a scoring guard who won two titles with Las Vegas
• Sydney Colson, a veteran leader on the championship squads

Team Management and Head Coaches

The team has been guided by several different owners and head coaches since starting in 1997. Team leaders make important trades and organize game plans.

• Denise Taylor (1997–1998) was the first coach for the Utah Starzz.
• Frank Layden (1998–1999) stepped in to coach after running the Utah Jazz.
• Fred Williams (1999–2001) coached the team to its first winning season.
• Candi Harvey (2001–2003) led the squad to its first two playoff appearances.
• Dee Brown (2003–2004) coached the team in San Antonio.
• Dan Hughes (2005–2010, 2011–2016) coached the team for eleven total seasons and reached the 2008 finals.
• Sandy Brondello (2010) coached the team during the 2010 season.
• Vickie Johnson (2016–2017) coached the Stars before they moved to Las Vegas.
• Bill Laimbeer (2017–2021) helped build the Aces into a top contender.
• Becky Hammon (2021–present) led the team to three league championships.

General managers like Ruth Riley and Natalie Williams have helped assemble championship rosters. Assistant coaches like Charlene Thomas-Swinson, Tyrone Ellis, and Nola Henry work directly with players every day to develop their basketball skills.

Media and Television Coverage

Fans can watch the Las Vegas Aces play on television and listen on the radio. Local games air on channel KMCC, which is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Previously, games appeared on KVVU-TV, owned by Gray Television, along with the Silver State Sports and Entertainment Network.

Games with national interest are broadcast across the country on networks like ESPN, ESPN2, ABC on KTNV-TV, Ion Television, CBS on KLAS-TV, NBC on KSNV, and NBA TV. Games can also be watched on streaming services like Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video. Local radio broadcasts air on station KWWN ESPN Las Vegas.

See also

In Spanish: Las Vegas Aces para niños