History of Las Vegas Aces in Timeline

The Las Vegas Aces are a professional women's basketball team in the WNBA, representing the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Playing their home games at Michelob Ultra Arena, they are headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. Notably, the Aces clinched the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA Championship. They followed this up with another WNBA Championship in 2023, marking the first back-to-back championships since the Los Angeles Sparks achieved the same in 2001 and 2002.

1997: Worst record in the WNBA

In 1997, as the Utah Starzz, the team had the worst record in the WNBA.

1997: Team founded as Utah Starzz

In 1997, the team was founded in Salt Lake City as the Utah Starzz, marking the inaugural season of the WNBA.

1998: Selected Margo Dydek in the WNBA draft

In 1998, the Utah Starzz selected 7 ft. 2 in. center Margo Dydek as the first pick in the WNBA draft, making her the tallest player in WNBA history.

1999: Finished near the bottom of the league

In 1999, the Utah Starzz finished near the bottom of the league.

2000: Posted a winning record but did not make playoffs

In 2000, the Utah Starzz posted a winning record for the first time but did not make the playoffs.

2001: Los Angeles Sparks won the WNBA championship

In 2001, the Los Angeles Sparks won the WNBA championship. They would go on to win the championship again in 2002.

2001: Made it to the playoffs for the first time

In 2001, the Utah Starzz made it to the playoffs for the first time, but were swept in the first round by the Sacramento Monarchs.

2002: Sold to Peter Holt and relocated to San Antonio

At the end of the 2002 season, the Utah Jazz ownership did not wish to retain ownership of the Starzz. The Starzz then looked for local Utah potential buyers, but none were found, leaving the franchise with the choices of either being sold to out-of-town investor(s) or folding. The Starzz avoided folding when the franchise was sold to Peter Holt (the owner of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs) and relocated to San Antonio. The team's name was changed to the San Antonio Silver Stars and would change its team colors to the silver and black motif used by the Spurs.

2002: Los Angeles Sparks won the WNBA championship

In 2002, the Los Angeles Sparks won the WNBA championship, achieving back-to-back championships.

2002: Playoff run ended in the Western Finals

In 2002, the Utah Starzz made it to the playoffs and beat the Houston Comets in the Western Conference Semifinals before being swept by the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Finals.

2003: Moved to San Antonio, became San Antonio Silver Stars

Before the 2003 season, the team moved to San Antonio and became the San Antonio Silver Stars.

2003: Unable to change old losing trend

For the first four seasons (2003–2006) after moving to San Antonio, the franchise was unable to change its old losing trend.

2006: Unable to make the playoffs

For the first four seasons (2003–2006) after moving to San Antonio, the franchise was unable to make the playoffs.

August 4, 2007: Clinched first playoff berth since relocation

On August 4, 2007, the San Antonio Silver Stars clinched their first playoff berth since relocating to San Antonio in 2003.

September 1, 2007: Season ended with loss to Phoenix Mercury

On September 1, 2007, the San Antonio Silver Stars' season ended after losing Game 2 to the Phoenix Mercury 98–92 in the Western Conference Finals.

2008: Lost to Detroit Shock in WNBA Finals

In 2008, the San Antonio Silver Stars lost to the Detroit Shock in the WNBA Finals.

2008: WNBA Finals appearance, lost to Detroit

In 2008, the team, then known as the San Antonio Silver Stars, reached the WNBA Finals but lost to the Detroit Shock.

2010: Swept in first round of playoffs by Phoenix

In 2010, the San Antonio Silver Stars finished with an unimpressive 14–20 record but sneaked into the third seed of the playoffs in a below-average Western Conference, and were then swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury.

2012: Lost in first round of playoffs to Los Angeles Sparks

In the 2012 playoffs, the San Antonio Silver Stars lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Sparks.

2013: Missed the playoffs

In 2013, the San Antonio Stars missed the playoffs.

2014: Team name shortened to San Antonio Stars

In 2014, the San Antonio Silver Stars shortened their name to the San Antonio Stars.

2014: Lost in first round of playoffs to Minnesota Lynx

In the 2014 playoffs, the San Antonio Stars lost in the first round to the Minnesota Lynx.

October 17, 2017: Sale of Stars to MGM Resorts approved

On October 17, 2017, the NBA and WNBA approved the sale of the San Antonio Stars to MGM Resorts with the intention of relocating the team to Las Vegas.

December 11, 2017: Team name announced as Las Vegas Aces

On December 11, 2017, the team name was officially announced as the Las Vegas Aces at a press conference in Las Vegas.

2018: Relocated to Las Vegas

Before the 2018 season, the team relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada.

2018: Received first pick in WNBA Draft, picked A'ja Wilson

In 2018, the Las Vegas Aces received the first pick in the WNBA Draft and selected A'ja Wilson from South Carolina.

2020: WNBA Finals appearance, lost to Seattle

In 2020, the team reached the WNBA Finals but lost to the Seattle Storm.

January 14, 2021: Mark Davis agreed to purchase the team

On January 14, 2021, Mark Davis and his mother Carol, owners of the Las Vegas Raiders, agreed to purchase the Las Vegas Aces from MGM.

February 12, 2021: Purchase of team by Mark Davis approved

On February 12, 2021, the league approved the purchase of the Las Vegas Aces by Mark Davis.

May 2021: Nikki Fargas hired as team president

In May 2021, Nikki Fargas, former LSU Lady Tigers basketball head coach, was hired as the president of the Las Vegas Aces.

December 31, 2021: Becky Hammon hired as head coach

On December 31, 2021, Becky Hammon was hired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, becoming the highest-paid coach in the WNBA.

2022: Won the 2022 WNBA Championship

During the 2022 season, the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals in 4 games to win the franchise's first championship and the first professional sports championship for Las Vegas.

2022: Won 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA championship

In 2022, the Las Vegas Aces won both the WNBA Commissioner's Cup and the WNBA championship, marking a significant achievement for the team.

2022: WNBA Finals appearance, won against Connecticut

In 2022, the team reached the WNBA Finals and won against Connecticut.

March 23, 2023: Tom Brady purchased a minority stake in the team

On March 23, 2023, it was announced that former NFL quarterback Tom Brady had purchased a minority stake in the Las Vegas Aces.

April 2023: Training facility completed

In April 2023, the Las Vegas Aces' 50,000 square foot training facility in Henderson, Nevada was completed.

2023: Won 2023 WNBA championship

In 2023, the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA championship, becoming the first team since 2001 and 2002 to win back-to-back championships.

2023: WNBA Finals appearance, won against New York

In 2023, the team reached the WNBA Finals and won against New York.

March 6, 2024: Debuted new uniforms and color scheme

On March 6, 2024, the Las Vegas Aces debuted new uniforms and a new silver and black color scheme matching that of Davis's other team the Raiders.

May 17, 2024: LVCVA announced $100,000 sponsorships for each player

On May 17, 2024, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced that they would be gifting each player on the 2024 Aces roster a $100,000 sponsorship, independent of the Aces organization.