WNBA: Questions surrounding the investigation into the Las Vegas Aces

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Update on WNBA’s investigation into Aces-LVCVA deal

At The IXHoward Megdal provides an update on the changing nature of the WNBA’s investigation into the increasingly opaque agreement between the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA) and Las Vegas Aces players. At the start of the season, the LVCVA offered all team members a $100,000 sponsorship for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

According to Megdal’s report, the initial assumption that the LVCVA had negotiated the deals with the players’ agents was incorrect. His report also suggests that the proposed agreement was a surprise to the organization. And yet a camera crew was present to film the announcement. Medgal writes:

Obviously, things get complicated quickly, while much of the originally claimed agreement falls somewhere between demonstrably false and extremely vague. If the LVCVA had no communication with the franchise regarding this agreement – since any discussion of it would violate the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement – and no agreement was reached with the agents, then how exactly did the LVCVA come to present this $1.2 million per year for the next two years (with many of the players under contract in 2024 not having signed for 2025) in the Las Vegas locker room on May 17?

Regarding the apparent forgery of the agreement, a WNBA executive told Megdal, “The idea that the LVCVA would just decide to unilaterally spend a lot of money is not ridiculous,” while other league sources emphasized the close relationship between LVCVA CEO Steve Hill and Aces owner Mark Davis; the two worked together to build Allegiant Stadium and bring Super Bowl LVIII to Las Vegas. The crux of the WNBA’s investigation likely rests on any evidence it can find of collaboration between Hill and Davis.

Megdal points out that the LVCVA is a public entity and therefore subject to public disclosure laws. The WNBA should be able to obtain all relevant records, a move that would also show other organizations that the league is taking this investigation seriously. However, Megdal has also learned that the LVCVA has asked R&R Partners, a private company, to broker the deal, which could hamper the league’s efforts to conduct a thorough investigation.

In short, the investigation is more likely to take more unexpected turns than reach a quick resolution. Read all the details from Megdal’s reporting here.

Voting for the WNBA All-Star is open

Voting for the 2024 WNBA All-Stars – which will pit the WNBA All-Stars against Team USA – began Thursday and runs through Saturday, June 29, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Fans can cast a full ballot of 10 players (four backcourt, six frontcourt) every day on WNBA.com and the WNBA app throughout the voting period. There will be three “2-for-1” days when votes count double: June 16, June 22 and June 27. When selecting the All-Stars, fan votes will count 50 percent, while votes from current players and a national media panel will each count 25 percent.

All players with the highest 10 votes automatically enter the game. Those not on the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team for the 2024 Olympics will be assigned to Team WNBA. The league’s 12 head coaches will then determine the rest of Team WNBA’s 12-man roster, voting on a ballot that includes the 36 players with the highest votes.

The rosters will be announced on Tuesday, July 2. The already sold-out game will take place on Saturday, July 20 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ. The game will be televised on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Visitor and spectator records for the W

May was a banner month for the WNBA, drawing the most viewers of any network in league history and recording the highest attendance in 26 years. During the month of May, approximately 400,000 fans attended games, with half of all games being sold out. Games broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS averaged 1.32 million viewers.

Arike has withdrawn from the US basketball team pool for the 2024 Olympic Games

While USA Basketball’s decision not to select a particular defender to the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team for the 2024 Olympics has garnered numerous headlines, the non-nomination of another defender – Arike Ogunbowale – arguably deserves closer scrutiny.

However, during an appearance on Thursday on the “Nightcap” podcast, which features Shannon Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Gilbert Arenas, Ogunbowale announced that she had removed her name from the list, stating:

I’m me and I just felt the vibe. When it comes to (Olympic qualification), it really doesn’t have much to do with your game. It’s really about who they think fits on the team… So I took my name out of the pool months ago.

Given USA Basketball’s history – which includes not drafting Candace Parker in 2016 and Nneka Ogwumike in 2020 – it’s difficult to refute Ogunbowale’s claim. Still, one could argue that Ogunbowale’s style of play – high shooting frequency with subpar efficiency – would not be an optimal fit for the star-studded national team. However, Ogunbowale’s decisive skills could certainly have been useful in a close game.

Chimezie Metu, a Nigerian-American NBA player who plays for the Detroit Pistons, called on Ogunbowale, who is also of Nigerian descent, to try out for the Nigerian national team on X/Twitter, posting: “Arike. It’s time.”

Ogwumike had applied to play for the Nigerians at the 2020 Olympics but was rejected by FIBA ​​due to her extensive experience with the US team. There is no indication that Ogunbowale would like to pursue this possible option.

Sparks extends contract with Hamby

In the midst of a career year, Dearica Hamby has signed a one-year, fully secured contract extension with the Los Angeles Sparks for $202,000.

Hamby is the Western Conference’s youngest player of the week and currently leads the league with 11 double-doubles. She is also seventh in the league in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game, and second in rebounding, averaging 11.4 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs.

Regarding the contract extension with the Sparks, Hamby said:

I am grateful to have found a home in LA with an ownership group and organization that believes in me and has supported me unconditionally since the day I arrived. I look forward to continuing to build with my teammates and returning the Sparks to historic levels.

Elzy joins the sisterhood

Former Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy has joined Kara Lawson’s staff at Duke. Elzy and Lawson were overlapping teammates at Tennessee for three seasons (1999-2001).

Lawson said of Elzy: “She is one of the best relationship builders I know. She has been a first-class player and coach. I look forward to pursuing championships together again.”