The Aces will pick first overall in the 2019 WNBA draft. The draft order was determined Tuesday during the WNBA draft lottery.
Basketball
WNBA salaries top out at $110,000 while EuroLeague salaries start at around $100,000. Star players can earn perhaps hundreds of thousands more.
Aces players officially concluded their seasons Tuesday with exit interviews opposite coach Bill Laimbeer and assistant coaches Vickie Johnson and Kelly Raimon at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Aces center A’ja Wilson was the unanimous choice to win the Associated Press WNBA Rookie of the Year award, the AP announced Tuesday.
Wilson concluded a stellar rookie season with 21 points and seven rebounds against the Dream on Sunday afternoon. She averaged 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and scored in double figures in all 33 games this season to eclipse Candace Parker for the second-most consecutive such games to start a career.
The Aces closed out their first campaign in front of the 5,737 on hand for Fan Appreciation Day at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Aces (14-19) end their inaugural season at 3 p.m. Sunday against the Atlanta Dream (22-11) at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Liz Cambage scored 43 points as the Dallas Wings clinched the WNBA’s eighth and final playoff berth with a 107-102 victory over the Aces on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Las Vegas and Dallas have 14-18 records and are battling for the WNBA’s final playoff spot, but the Wings are 2-0 against the Aces, so they own the tiebreaker.
The Aces defeated the New York Liberty 85-72 on Wednesday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center to tie the Dallas Wings for the WNBA’s eighth and final playoff spot with two games remaining.
Kelsey Plum, selected No. 1 overall in 2017, has been among the league leaders in 3-point percentage throughout her second pro season and is starting to showcase the scoring that captivated the country during her record-setting college career.
The Aces (13-18) are one game behind the Dallas Wings (14-17) for the No. 8 and final playoff seed as they prepare for what has become their most important game of the season against the New York Liberty on Wednesday.
The Aces snapped a five-game losing streak and preserved the possibility of the postseason with a 92-74 victory over the Indiana Fever on Saturday night before an announced crowd of 5,213.
The Aces still have an outside shot at a WNBA playoff berth despite a five-game losing streak that began immediately after the All-Star break. They’re 2½ games behind the Dallas Wings, who have lost six in a row.
The Aces lost their fifth straight game — 89-73 to the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx — and remain 2½ games behind the Dallas Wings for the final playoff spot with four games left.