LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson says members of her team had no idea about the surprise they were set to receive on Friday.
"I don't think people really understand, but we didn't know what was going on," Wilson said after practice at the team's facility in Henderson on Monday. "Our city is behind us 100% and they're giving us what we deserve."
Last week, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority officials surprised Aces players with a pledge to sign each of them — the WNBA team has a roster of 12 — to a sponsorship deal that is worth $100,000 this season.
It adds up to a $1.2 million payout to players in a league where the average salary is just over $100,000 per season. In other words, it's a pretty big deal.
"We're a big deal to this city," Wilson, the MVP of the 2023 WNBA Finals, said.
Clearly, the LVCVA is wanting to reward Aces players following a memorable two-year championship run. The Aces are widely favored to win their third consecutive WNBA title this summer.
Through a statement, LVCVA officials say they made sponsorship agreement offers to the players "in accordance with the rules of any sponsorship these athletes might accept, and consistent with our own long-standing sponsorship programs."
The LVCVA, of course, exists to promote Las Vegas as a tourism hotspot and the agency sometimes gets creative with how it does that. One way is how it employs some social media influencers as brand ambassadors, essentially paying them as independent contractors to show others how fun Las Vegas can be.
It's unclear exactly how the players would be required to sell Southern Nevada and players we talked to after practice on Monday didn't seem sure of all the details either.
"I have no idea," Wilson said with a laugh. "It really is new to us."
The concept is new to the WNBA too. A league spokesperson told Channel 13 in an email on Monday that WNBA officials plan to open an investigation.
Reported over the weekend, first by ESPN, that fact didn't seem to bother Aces star Kelsey Plum at all.
"The higher the level, the higher the devil," Plum said. "They just try to take your joy and we won't let them. This is a great thing for WNBA players. People are seeing the investment in women's sports. They're saying they love the way we represent Las Vegas and they're rewarding us as a team. This is a leadership action and hopefully this happens in other cities."
While the WNBA does operate under a collective bargaining agreement, the LVCVA deals don't appear to skirt any rules at first blush. That's because the deals are designed for each player, not for the organization as a whole.
That said, the fact that the league is saying it will investigate means there are questions that may need to be answered. The Aces are set to host the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
