The Las Vegas Aces have been truly dominant for the last few years, winning three championships in four seasons. There are many reasons for that success. Becky Hammon is an outstanding coach. A’ja Wilson is the best player in the world. Jackie Young has grown into one of, if not the best, two-way wings in the league. Chelsea Gray’s veteran leadership is invaluable.
A’ja Wilson also attributed her team’s success to another factor: the ownership’s dedication to investing in its players. When she appeared on Kylie Kelce’s podcast, she spoke about the difference a good practice facility can make—something several Aces players also addressed after the 2025 championship.
“We were one of the first WNBA teams to have a practice facility and people wonder, ‘Oh, what makes the Aces great and why are they so great and why are they constantly in the conversations?’ Because we have exactly what we need and we don’t have to come into work thinking and wondering, ‘Oh, is this going to work? Or now I have to drive and share this court with people?’ We don’t have that problem and so now it’s kind of like making sure that others, owners, or anyone else, put your money where your mouth is and give us what we need,” Wilson said.
Practice facilities that meet the standards professional athletes deserve don’t just help attract free agents, they also help improve the on-court product, and owners should’ve realized that years ago.
Practice facilities aren’t a luxury
For the longest time, practice facilities were considered a luxury in the WNBA. Players didn’t have a place to work out that was just their own or even dedicated locker rooms. Having that is not a luxury. It’s something that’s needed to put the best possible product on the court. Just imagine you get a job with a popular IT firm that you’ve always wanted to work for, but then find out that you have to get your work done at a public library because your boss doesn’t want to pay for a dedicated office space.
By now, several WNBA teams have dedicated practice facilities. The Aces, Mercury, Valkyries, and Storm all have new state-of-the-art practice facilities. The Lynx share practice facilities with the NBA’s Timberwolves and the Mystics share with the Wizards. The Portland Fire will get a new practice facility that they will share with the NWSL’s Thorns once they join the WNBA.
The Liberty, Fever, Sky, Wings, Tempo, and Sparks also all have plans to open new practice facilities in the coming years—and most of them are needed desperately. The Sky, for example, practice at Sachs Recreation Center, a public facility that doesn’t belong to the team. The Sparks regularly move practice facilities and have practiced in four different places since 2021.