The back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces are facing some adversity, not just because of their current three-game losing streak.
The Aces franchise was placed under investigation last month after the announcement of an arrangement between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and the Aces players that would have the former pay each player $100,000 a year for the next two seasons came to light.
According to a report by The IX, the WNBA has hired a law firm to look into the deal, escalating the ongoing investigation.
Related: The WNBA's steep rise faces a massive challenge for the next decade
BREAKING: We're doing something that's never been done before. We're going #ALLINLV and sponsoring EVERY. SINGLE. PLAYER. on the @LVAces roster this season! pic.twitter.com/ntBZVZeFJu
— Las Vegas (@Vegas) May 17, 2024
This isn't the first time the Aces have a been under scrutiny
This isn't the first time in recent years that the Aces have faced an investigation from the league. Just last year, the two-time Champions were given sanctions for what the WNBA called "violating league and team Respect in the Workplace policies" and "violating league rules regarding impermissible benefits." These sanctions followed an investigation into how the team was able to sign Candace Parker and trade Dearica Hamby.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon faced a two-game suspension and the team lost its first round pick in the 2025 draft.
However, the league never brought in outside counsel for that investigation, which The IX suggests is why this new case may be a lot more serious.
Related: WNBA players are fed up with the Caitlin Clark chaos
The Aces' players deal with the LVCVA is supposed to function like a sponsorship contract, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. These were supposedly negotiated without the knowledge of the team so as not to violate the rules of the WNBA.
However, as the IX's report pointed out, it's difficult to imagine how the LVCVA was able to create this deal without knowledge of the team considering the announcement was made to the players in their own locker room. The report also noted that there is a "close working relationship" between the Aces owner Mark Davis and the LVCVA CEO Steve Hill.
The nature of the deal is also in question. The deal was meant to pay the 12 Aces players, but not all 12 players on the team are the same throughout the year. The team already cut rookie Dyaisha Fair and added Tiffany Hayes at the end of May.
More Women’s Basketball:
- All sides of the WNBA's Caitlin Clark jealousy narrative
- The harsh reality behind the shockingly low WNBA contracts
- WNBA Commissioner has big plans for the league's next media rights deal
Moreover, the LVCVA deal is supposed to go until next season, but some of the team's players including All-Star Kelsey Plum, are not under contract for the 2025 season.
The result of the investigation will likely set a precedent for the league for how it deals with these types of "sponsorship" deals. However, in the bigger picture, the LVCVA deal shows how salaries and the treatment of players in the WNBA still remain a major issue for the league.
WNBA player contracts max out at around a quarter of a million per year, while the average salary for a WNBA player is around $100,000. Aces veteran Sydney Colson called the deal "life-changing" when it was first announced.
A life-changing investment! We’re SO appreciative and love representing this city! https://t.co/2hBkV29hm3
— Sydney Colson (@SydJColson) May 17, 2024
A similar case happened in 2022 when the New York Liberty were fined a league-record $500,000 for violating the WNBA rules regarding chartered flights. While the rule was beneficial for the players on the Liberty — and fulfilled an ask that WNBA players have been clamoring for — the team still suffered for violating the WNBA rules.
While the WNBA is on the rise, it may take several years for the league to get to a steady point in its revenue — or for the players to negotiate a larger share of the pie in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement — in order for teams, players, and organizations to need not look for loopholes similar to the LVCVA deal to compensate their most important employees.
Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024
