LAS VEGAS (KTNV — After winning back-to-back WNBA world championships and amid the team's chase for a third straight, the Las Vegas Aces are making their presence felt in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Aces stars A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, and Chelsea Gray are in Paris teamed up with some of the best talent the WNBA has to offer for Team USA.
Together, they have helped America beat Japan, Belgium, Germany, and Nigeria by double digits en route to Friday morning's semifinal match against Australia.
Wilson has led the team in scoring through four games in Paris while others have contributed in the starting lineup or coming off the bench. In the team's most recent win over Nigeria, Wilson led the way with 20 points while Young added 15 and Gray scored 6.
Back home in Vegas, the four Aces have inspired local hoopers and made many in the valley proud. Channel 13's Nick Walters visited with some at the Tarkanian Basketball Center.
“That’s so huge out here, especially in Las Vegas," said Marcus Falley, a local coach and co-owner of basketball training business Get Better Every Day. "We normally don’t have as many girls training but for some reason from watching the Aces and Olympics, more girls have been coming out.”
"It means a lot," local youth basketball player Justin said. "We don’t have an NBA team but to have a women’s team representing Las Vegas, it’s very nice... The ball movement is very good and overall they’re just a great team.”
"It's a huge blessing to be a part of Vegas where we have four players on Team USA and that’s just an amazing opportunity in itself," local hooper David Clark said. "It shows the growth of the city... It’s a powerful thing to have women leading the front for Vegas as far as basketball.”
The Aces chasing gold in red, white, and blue has continued to set an example of excellence that aspiring basketball players in Vegas can look up to.
“You see that they’re at the top of the game for a reason," Falley said. "They put time in the gym. That’s a message to the kids that if you want to be great at something, you have to put in the work.”
“I want to go to the NBA some day or play pro basketball one day," Justin told Nick. "It would just mean a lot to help out my community and help people that have given me a chance.”
“We’ve had big names come out of Vegas: Jaden Hardy, Julian Strawther," David said. "We’re going to have a lot of women coming out soon. That’s just huge that the women are putting on for all the little girls.”
Team USA will face Australia on Friday morning at 8:30 PT with the chance to punch their ticket to the gold medal game.
