Las Vegas Aces Outshine Los Angeles Sparks In Kelsey Plum’s Homecoming To Vegas

The Las Vegas Aces put on quite the show on Friday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. They dominated the Los Angeles Sparks 96-81 during former Aces star Kelsey Plum's return to Vegas with the Sparks.

The two-time WNBA champions came out strong and kept going. Vegas fans welcomed Plum back with cheers and signs that read "Once an Ace, always an Ace." And a few NBA stars were courtside for the action-packed game.

Plum, the former beloved Aces player, returned to Vegas with the Sparks to go up against her old team. She was warmly greeted by fans who cheered for her return with many holding signs that read, "Once an Ace, always an Ace." She could certainly feel the love from her old home court.

When Plum popped up on the video board during pre-game intros, fans cheered her on proudly. According to Ball is Life, before the game, Plum said, "It's going to be great to compete against them. I've been on their team for so long. I feel like we know each other so well. It's really going to be a battle of the minds."

Plum scored 17 points during her first game back in Vegas since being traded to the Sparks.

Wilson had an impressive game Friday night, despite not feeling her best, as she explained during the postgame press conference.

"It's actually really crazy because I didn't have any energy this morning, not feeling the best but my teammates really helped me kind of get the juice to go," Wilson said. "We knew that this was a bounce back game for us. Everyone saw our show in Seattle, that wasn't us. So I knew coming into this game that we needed to turn something, we needed to set the tone and start to get our identity. It's early and this is the time where you form your identity."

Wilson finished the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jackie Young added 26 points and Chelsea Gray had 15 points.

During the postgame press conference, Wilson revealed what nickname her teammates gave her.

"They all call me Ricky Rubio," she announced with a smile. "Y'all can look at his highlights and you can see our games are very similar."

She also talked about the team's "defensive effort" and what made them feel like the "Aces being the Aces."

"The Seattle game left a bad taste in our mouth so every day we were chipping away, chipping away, getting better. Iron sharpens iron," she said. "Today, and every time we play, it's always like Aces need to focus on us."

She also talked about leading her team in assists.

"I did not come into this season and say I wanted to lead this team in assists, but I do know that I'm going to see a lot of different defenses which means I can't shoot over five people," she explained. "I have amazing teammates surrounding me."

And then there were jokes. One reporter pointed out that Wilson's signature shoe, the A'One, got a "deflection" during the game. Wilson joked, "What can I say, the A'One gonna be the A'One. Even when you're not in the shoe, it's making defensive plays. I don't know, I just lost my shoe, so I'm happy it did that." She then jokingly asked, "Did that count as a steal for me?"

What's a WNBA game without some big names sitting courtside enjoying all the high-energy action? This game was no different. A few NBA stars were in the house enjoying the game.

Milwaukee Bucks star Damion Lillard was in the house courtside. Sitting next to him? WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Tina Thompson. And next to her was Los Angeles Lakers player Jarred Vanderbilt.

Over on the other side of the court sat Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who's been romantically linked to Aces star player, Wilson. Seated near Adebayo was Aces and Raiders owner Mark Davis.

The Las Vegas Aces recently announced their partnership with BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator. BetMGM is the exclusive online casino and sportsbook partner of the Aces, with the agreement running through the 2027 season. This marks BetMGM's first major partnership with a woman's professional sports franchise.

Key features of the partnership will include prominent signage at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casion and sponsorship across Aces social media platforms. BetMGM will also receive commercial inventory on nationally televised games, WNBA tickets and experiences for its VIP players, and more. They also plan to release a WNBA-branded online slot game in the near future in jurisdictions where its iGaming platform is live.

"As we enter this era of tremendous growth in women's sports, BetMGM could not have two better organizations to partner with than the WNBA and the Aces," Adam Greenblatt, BetMGM CEO said according to a press release sent to The Blast. "Not only do the Aces play in our backyard at Mandalay Bay, but they share our commitment to giving back to the community."

Lance Evans, SVP Sports and Sponsorships, MGM Resorts International, added, "Since 2018, the Las Vegas Aces have played a pivotal role in our city's growth as a global sports and entertainment destination. Together with BetMGM, we look forward to hosting gameday events at Mandalay Bay, as well as our other properties, allowing local and visiting fans to interact with their favorite basketball teams."