The WNBA has opened an investigation into the $100,000 bonus payments to each Las Vegas Aces player that were revealed on Friday, the league confirmed late Saturday afternoon. The investigation was first reported by TheNextHoops.
The bonus payments are being given by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA),, with no requirements beyond playing basketball.
It is a unique sponsorship opportunity created by the authority’s president and CEO, Steve Hill, who entered the Aces’ locker room Friday and presented the players with the offer. The team seemed to accept on the spot with shouts of excitement and cheers as they moved their chairs closer to Hill.
“We want to recognize you individually,” Hill told the team. “We want to put some money in your pockets, so we’ve got an offer for you.”
BREAKING: We’re doing something that’s never been done before. We’re going #ALLINLV and sponsoring EVERY. SINGLE. PLAYER. on the @LVAces roster this season! pic.twitter.com/ntBZVZeFJu
— Las Vegas (@Vegas) May 17, 2024
As explained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the LVCVA worked in secret with each player’s agent and structured the deals similarly to the Name, Image and Likeness deals done in college. Hill told the Review-Journal that the players will become part of a group of more than 100-plus influencers his agency pays on a regular basis.
The WNBA had no further comment on its investigation.
According to ESPN, the sponsorship does not violate the WNBA’s salary cap because the authority did not orchestrate the sponsorship with the club. But other teams are likely to raise questions about the fairness of the sponsorship and whether it violates the spirit of the cap rules.
Such a deal likely would give the Aces a tremendous advantage in landing free agents if other teams are unable to match the offering.
In the W, $100,000 is no small number. Take Aces draftee Kate Martin, for example. The Iowa product and former teammate of Caitlin Clark did not expect to be drafted but heard her name called during the second round. Spotrac listed Martin’s salary as $67,249. This sponsorship boosts that to $167,249.
The Aces have experienced a ton of success over the last few seasons, winning back-to-back WNBA titles. They are the first franchise to do so since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.
Off the court, the team announced Friday that it has sold out 15 of its 20 regular-season home games. Las Vegas was one of a handful of teams in the W who shifted venues from their typical home arena to a larger one to meet the demand created by Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. The Aces typically play at Michelob Ultra Arena, which seats 12,000, but will host Clark and Fever on July 2 at T-Mobile Arena, which seats 18,000.
Last year, the WNBA took away the Aces’ 2025 first-round draft pick and suspended coach Becky Hammon for two games following the investigation that found the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.
According to the league, at the time, the team violation entailed promises of impermissible benefits during contract extension negotiations for former Aces player Dearica Hamby. The Respect in the Workplace violation stemmed from comments Hammon made to Hamby in connection to the latter’s pregnancy.
Las Vegas won its first game on May 14, defeating the Phoenix Mercury, 89-80, and defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 89-82 Saturday afternoon.
This story has been updated with the WNBA confirming its investigation, background on the why the WNBA is investigating and the Aces’ history of issues with the league.
