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The Las Vegas WNBA team has a new name: the Aces

By Howard Megdal

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 11: Professional basketball players Kayla Janine Alexander (L), Head coach Bill Laimbeer (M), and Moriah Jefferson (R) pose for a picture during a news conference as the WNBA and MGM Resorts International announce the Las Vegas Aces as the name of their franchise at the House of Blues Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on December 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In October, the league announced that the San Antonio Stars would relocate to Las Vegas and begin play in the 2018 season at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 11: Professional basketball players Kayla Janine Alexander (L), Head coach Bill Laimbeer (M), and Moriah Jefferson (R) pose for a picture during a news conference as the WNBA and MGM Resorts International announce the Las Vegas Aces as the name of their franchise at the House of Blues Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on December 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In October, the league announced that the San Antonio Stars would relocate to Las Vegas and begin play in the 2018 season at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Getty Images) /
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Las Vegas’ WNBA team already had a general manager and a coach in Bill Laimbeer. A roster filled with players like Kayla McBride, Moriah Jefferson, Kayla Alexander and Kelsey Plum had made the move as well.

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But now Las Vegas has a name, a nod to the gambling the city is known for. The team will be called the Aces.

“Selecting a new name is an important and symbolic step,” Laimbeer said Monday, betraying no disappointment, if he felt any, that the team is not called the Las Vegas Hard Fouls. “Las Vegas has enthusiastically embraced us, and we’re incredibly excited for this opportunity. We have a strong roster driven to succeed, which makes this name an ideal choice. ‘Las Vegas Aces’ is a nod to the excellence, confidence and competitive spirit of our new hometown.”

The team, owned by MGM Resorts, will play at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. An informal survey of WNBA players and coaches produced a unanimous preference for Las Vegas road trips over San Antonio road trips, even taking into account the Riverwalk Jazz scene.

“We are ecstatic to officially welcome the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA family,” WNBA president Lisa Borders said Monday. “The Aces are already embracing the opportunity to develop a deep connection with the local community, and we can’t wait to watch them bring the WNBA’s brand of world-class basketball to their new home in 2018.”

Along with San Antonio’s returning players, the Las Vegas franchise already found some luck: it will be choosing first in the 2018 WNBA Draft. No word yet on just how many gambling puns sportswriters will utilize in the upcoming season, but the Vegas over-under on it is probably, roughly, infinity.

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