Aces’ A’ja Wilson Speaks Out About WNBA Defending Champs Opening 2023 Season On Road, Receiving Championship Rings Month Into New Season

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022 Alan Snel A'ja Wilson

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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer

When Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson believes something is off kilter, the two-time WNBA MVP will let you know

One of the WNBA’s most popular faces, Wilson criticized the league for scheduling the Aces’ first two games of the 2023 season on the road when typically the defending champion in pro starts starts the season at home.

The Aces start the expanded 40-game season in Seattle on May 20 and in Los Angeles on May 25 before returning to Las Vegas for their home-opener on May 27.

Wilson did not appreciate the WNBA schedule-maker having the Aces on the road to open the season when they are the defending league champs:

Then, Wilson mentioned the championship rings — which are typically handed out at the first home game of the new season– will not be doled out until four weeks into the new campaign.

Wilson’s comments drew a few responses:

The WNBA also drew heat for scheduling the first game of the WNBA Finals against the first Sunday of the NFL schedule.

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.

July 5, 2021

LVSPORTSBIZ.COM, launched June 2017: We are a digital magazine providing market-leading news, intelligence, enterprise and breaking info on Las Vegas’ sports/stadium industry. Our stories are quoted nationally and we set the sportsbiz news agenda in Las Vegas. Publisher Alan Snel has reported on the business of sports and stadiums in Denver, South Florida, Seattle and Tampa besides Las Vegas and is considered a national authority on the topic.

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Hirings and Firings:

Las Vegas Aces President Nikki Fargas said the Aces are not renewing the contract of General Manager Natalie Williams. The Aces hired Williams as the team’s general manager in April 2022.

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To contact LVSportsBiz.com Publisher Alan Snel or buy his book, Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys, email him at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

LVSportsBiz number for 2024: $1,178,161,041. That’s the amount of debt Las Vegas (actually, Clark County) owes for its public share of building the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.