When the NBA’s Board of Governors voted in March to explore expansion bids for Las Vegas and Seattle, the question of which city had the stronger case came with it. For Josh Childress, who spent time in the league with the Hawks and the Suns, the answer runs through the Las Vegas Aces.
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“I also think you’ve seen it. There’s no proof of concept with these other teams. The Aces are the best example,” Childress said in an interview with Front Office Sports. “They’ve invested in the club, they’ve won, and I’m sure they sell out every single game. Those fundamentals cut across all sports. If you win, put a good product on the floor, take care of your fans, and do the right things, you’ll get the support you need.”
The bidding process is expected to produce offers in the $7 to $10 billion range per team. Childress’s point is that Las Vegas no longer needs to make an abstract case for its sports market as the evidence already exists.
The Aces have won three WNBA titles in four years: in 2022, 2023, and 2025. The main catalyst behind this dominance has been A’ja Wilson, a four-time MVP and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, as their franchise cornerstone. They also have a front office that has set standards for how to run a professional women’s sports team.
Owner Mark Davis bought the franchise for approximately $2 million when it relocated from San Antonio to Las Vegas ahead of the 2018 season. As per Sportico, the team is now valued at $410 million, making it the sixth most valuable franchise in the WNBA ahead of teams in larger markets. They have sold out games at an unprecedented rate, 15 of their 20 home games in 2024, which is a WNBA record in itself.
Davis was among the first WNBA owners to invest in infrastructure at scale. He built a 50,000 sq. ft practice facility, which was the first in league history constructed exclusively for a women’s basketball team. It houses the team’s offices, training room, hydrotherapy space, locker rooms, player and alumni lounges, and an on-site daycare center. Davis had already viewed player welfare as a product.
“I think it always had been,” Davis said after their 2025 title win. “Back in the days of Jerry Tarkanian and that UNLV team, they captured the imagination of the country. Las Vegas holds its own; it’s a great basketball market.”
Childress argues that an NBA team in Las Vegas would not be starting from scratch. There would be a need to provide proof that the market works. And the Las Vegas Aces, as a franchise, have built that sustainable infrastructure while doing it.
However, the one variable the Aces cannot fully control right now is the availability of their star player at the center of everything they have built.
A’ja Wilson Out For The Las Vegas Aces For The Third Straight Game
A’ja Wilson has been the primary reason the Aces have won all those titles. She has been the consistent 4-time MVP and the 3-time Defensive Player Of The Year. This year, she is having another such campaign, averaging 25.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. However, an injury has stopped her MVP march dead in its tracks.
She rolled over her ankle in the Chicago Sky game almost a week back and has not returned since. Wilson wore a boot on her right foot on the bench during Friday night’s overtime return win over the Sky. Before that game, Aces coach Becky Hammon explained Wilson’s injury as “day by day” while reassuring that it’s not expected to be a long-term issue. Yet, Wilson has been ruled out for their next game against the Indiana Fever.
“She’s tough,” Hammon said. “I want to protect her as much as possible. She really wants to play, and we’re not going to rush.”
She has missed just 8 games in the past 7 seasons, being an iron lady and soldiering through. Yet, without Wilson, the Aces have continued their form, winning the Sky game without her. However, the Fever will be a completely different challenge.