The Las Vegas Aces are again at the center of another WNBA controversy.
Around this time a year ago, head coach Becky Hammon was suspended for two games and the organization was docked a draft pick after the franchise was investigated by the WNBA. They went on to win their second consecutive championship anyways.
On Friday, the Aces were the subject of a unique announcement. Steve Hill, the president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, announced that the LVCA is gifting each Aces player with a $100,000 sponsorship.
And immediately, that announcement raised a lot of red flags. Yes, of course, most WNBA fans want to see the players get paid more, but was this a loophole? Isn’t this just the Aces circumventing the league’s salary cap in a creative way? Is this a competitive advantage for a team favored to win the title for a third year in a row?
As it turns out, the WNBA reportedly has questions too.
According to Howard Megdal of The Next, the WNBA is investigating this new sponsorship payment:
The #WNBA has opened an investigation into the $100,000 bonus payments to each Las Vegas Aces player, multiple sources with direct knowledge tell @TheNextHoops.
— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) May 18, 2024
Some folks are already looking into the WNBA’s CBA about what exactly the Aces could be violating here. The Aces, however, are adamant that this is all above board.
HC Becky Hammon and A’ja Wilson spoke about the the investigation by the #WNBA into the $100,000 sponsorship deal by the city of LV to the team. #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/4mV7f6h9ax
— Nick Hamilton (@NickHamilton213) May 18, 2024
“I don’t understand the investigation,” A’ja Wilson told reporters after an 89-82 victory over the Sparks on Saturday. “I haven’t really dived into it yet. I just looked at my phone and was like ‘oh wow, just another day in the life of the Aces.'”
In a post we published just before Megdal’s report, we tried to explain why extra payments of $100,000 is a pretty big deal for WNBA players. Six Aces players don’t even make that much in salary.
Here’s the big questions:
But what happens when Las Vegas woos another all-star to their team at a significantly lower rate because the city’s tourism board can just make up the deficit? Will the WNBA do anything about that? Will they see it as an unfair advantage?
Moreover, what’s stopping any other team from doing this? Will that create a new line between haves and have-nots in the league, or will it lead to the WNBA increasing its cap and reworking its salary rules?
Looks like we’re about to find out what the consequences are of the Aces’ sponsorship deal.
