The reigning champions The Aces of Las Vegas overtook the New York Liberty for a victory 99-82 win the first match of 2023 WNBA Finals. The Aces lead the best-of-5 series 1-0.
The New York Liberty will face the Las Vegas Aces in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at a sold-out Michelob ULTRA Arena with seating for 12,000 spectators. A’ja WilsonAces forward and Defensive Player of the Year, is expecting an intense game and is excited about the fan engagement.
“I wasn’t surprised it was complete,” Wilson said on Sports Seriously. “Our fans love us and love the game because it gives people a chance to come and have fun while watching great basketball.”
Wilson said this was a WNBA Finals that would showcase elite basketball that all fans could enjoy.
The Las Vegas Aces lead the WNBA in home attendance this season, averaging 9,551 fans, according to the Sports Affairs Journal.
WNBA Bay Area Expansion Team
Wilson believes the WNBA’s top priority should be expansion. Wilson said it would create more employment opportunities for players capable of playing at the highest level and could lead to better travel arrangements for existing teams.
The WNBA has announcement that a new expansion team will join the league in 2025. This team will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be owned and managed by Joe Lacob, co-executive chairman and CEO of the Warriors, and Peter Guber, co – Executive Chairman. The ownership group of Warriors has committed to paying a record $50 million expansion fee for the WNBA franchise over 10 years, according to Sportico.
The team will play its home matches at Hunting center in San Francisco. Despite not having a team name or players, within the first five hours of the team’s announcement, the expansion team received 2,000 deposits for subscriptions.
This is the WNBA’s first expansion since 2008, when it added the Atlanta Dream to the league.
“I’m happy that we’re growing and I’m happy that there’s ownership behind the expansion that’s ready to go,” Wilson said.
Basketball:WNBA set to announce San Francisco Bay Area expansion team
Private travel essential for WNBA, says Wilson
Wilson also shared her thoughts on what she sees as another major goal for the league: better travel accommodations for players. WNBA teams.
There has been much discussion about travel arrangements within the WNBA following a incident in June 2023 at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport where Brittney Griner was harassed before boarding a flight with Team Mercury. Griner brought up the debate over providing charter planes to WNBA teams, and Wilson reiterated the discussion.
Wilson has expressed discomfort with sitting next to strangers on flights to WNBA away games and expects to perform at his best, so private travel is essential for the overall safety of the player.
