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    Categories: Aces

Aces Polish Off Minnesota As NBA Legend Bill Russell Watches WNBA Game In Las Vegas

Late NBA legend Bill Russell watching Aces basketball. Photo by Steve Rosenthal/LVSportsBiz.com

By Alan Snel

LVSportsBiz.com

 

Las Vegas Aces All-Star A’ja Wilson was injured with a bad ankle and couldn’t show her hoops skills for NBA legend Bill Russell, who sat behind one of the baselines.

 

But the Aces won without Wilson, as All-Star center Liz Campage poured in 22 points and the Las Vegas team defeated the Minnesota Lynx, 79-74.

 

Raiders owner Mark Davis was in his usual courtside seat near half court, but it was  Russell who garnered the crowd’s cheers when introduced at Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Strip. Attendance was reported at 4,352, though there seemed to be less people in the building than that.

Bill Russell on the jumbotron scoreboard.

 

Wilson sat out, but Kayla McBride dropped in 20 points and Dearica Hamby, in the starting lineup for Wilson, added 14 points.

 

Photo by Steve Rosenthal/LVSportsBiz.com

Russell, who was in a wheelchair at age 85, met each Aces players after the game in their locker room.

 

Sugar Rodgers, who scored eight points off the bench, said she was “at a loss of words” to describe the meaning of meeting Russell, who set a record for winning most NBA championships with the Boston Celtics.

 

“You appreciate the support,” Rodgers said.

 

McBride, one of the Aces three All-Stars, said she was star-struck when Russell introduced himself to her after the game.

 

“He’s a legend,” McBride said. “He’s one of the first names you think of when you think of the NBA.”

 

Hamby, who said she felt fine with the added minutes playing in the starting line-up for Wilson, said, “It’s an honor to meet him.”

 

Coach Bill Laimbeer also met Russell.

Photo by Steve Rosenthal/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Raiders owner Mark Davis was in his usual court side seat. Photo by Steve Rosenthal/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Rushia Brown of the Aces staff interviewed All-Stars Cambage and McBride, who will be in action Saturday when the Mandalay Bay Events Center hosts the WNBA All-Star Game.

Photo by Steve Rosenthal/LVSportsBiz.com

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Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
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