By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
Liz Cambage, you’re not in Tulsa anymore.
Cambage, the 27-year-old six-foot, eight-inch center and one of the world’s best women basketball players, is now a player with the Las Vegas Aces after Dallas traded her to Las Vegas. She spoke to the local media Monday afternoon about crying on the phone every night about playing in Tulsa for the WNBA Tulsa Shock back in 2011.
“It ruined me to the point that I had to step away,” Cambage said, tearing up about the memory during her press conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Observed Aces coach and basketball operations man Bill Laimbeer, “She was dealt a bad hand.”
But now Cambage’s hand includes quite a few Aces as she plays alongside 2018 All-Stars forward A’ja Wilson and shooting guard Kayla McBride. Cambage indicated to her Dallas Wings team (formerly the Detroit and Tulsa teams) that she would not play for the Wings. Laimbeer said Dallas called him and asked if he would be interested in acquiring Cambage.
“Absolutely,” Laimbeer recalled telling the Dallas rep. “We have to do this. This is Las Vegas. We do things over the top.”
And local basketball fans have noticed Cambage is now an Aces player. The excitement over the Aces trading for the passionate center/WNBA 2018 MVP runner-up a few days ago has caused a spike in ticket sales.
“It’s been impactful,” Aces president Christine Monjer said of Cambage’s effect on ticket sales.
Monjer said she did not know the number of tickets sold because of the Aces acquiring Cambage from Dallas.
But LVSportsBiz.com heard that 60 season ticket deals were sold over the weekend.
Cambage said she’s a passionate player who’s ready to play the role of leader for the Aces young players like rookie Jackie Young, a versatile six-foot swing player who was the league’s number one draft pick taken by the Aces.
“She hasn’t fulfilled her destiny yet,” Laimbeer said.
Cambage also wants better conditions for the players. “We should not be flying Southwest,” she said. Teams are not allowed to fly chartered flights because some team owners — like the Aces’ MGM Resorts International — have more financial resources than other team owners and would give their teams a competitive advantage.
“We’re meant to be a professional league. The standards are just not there now.” Cambage observed.
The team averaged attendance of 5,208 in 2018 at Mandalay Bay Events Center, which holds about 8,000. The team finished 14-20 after starting off the 34-game season 1-7.
With Cambage, expectations have soared with talk of not only making the playoffs but competing for a championship in the 12-team league.
Laimbeer said the addition of Cambage has accelerated his three-year program. “The reality is you have to prove it. We have some really good building blocks.”
The Aces open their 2019 season with a game against Los Angeles at Mandalay Bay Events Center Sunday. And Cambage is happy with her new team, which already put the new player on the Mandalay Bay marquee.
“This city is insane,” the newest Aces player said.
And she’s candid about her thoughts: “I speak my truth. And I live my truth on a daily basis.”
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