Sin City reaffirmed its commitment to supporting its WNBA team, despite an ongoing league investigation. Las Vegas tourism chief Steve Hill confirmed that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will honor its commitment to provide $100,000 sponsorships to each Aces player over the next two years, despite questions about the arrangement’s compliance with WNBA salary-cap rules.
“We made a commitment to the players and we're going to follow through on that,” Hill said Monday, as reported by the Associated Press. “We have not done anything wrong. The players have every right to sign a sponsorship agreement. This is a legitimate sponsorship agreement. … We've taped all the players and broadcast their image, so we owe them for that. That's the first deliverable in the deal, so we are moving forward.”
Hill is scheduled to meet with the lead investigator from the law firm Kobre & Kim, which the WNBA has hired to determine if the sponsorship deals violated any league policies. The investigation is headed by Steven Kobre, a founding partner of the firm. The scrutiny comes after the LVCVA announced May 18 that Aces players would receive substantial sponsorships, an amount exceeding the average annual salary of five Aces players, according to Spotrac.
Hill assured that the LVCVA acted independently of the Aces when arranging the sponsorship deals, though the team was notified of the planned sponsorships. The authority also requested access to the Aces' locker room to inform players of the sponsorship proposal, which was videotaped for promotional purposes.
“We think this is a very positive step for the team, the league,” Hill said. “We hope we're raising the bar, we hope that we are maybe opening some minds to the value that has been kind of locked up that we're trying to unlock with all these players.”
Aces players would receive $25K monthly under sponsorship deal
Each sponsorship agreement, Hill explained, includes several components: a promotional video shot in the locker room, a team photo, public appearances and the use of players' names, images, and likenesses. Players are set to receive $25,000 monthly, with the amount prorated for those added or released from the roster.
This isn't the first time the WNBA has put the Aces' actions under a microscope. Last year, the league suspended Aces coach Becky Hammon for two games and revoked the team’s 2025 first-round draft pick for violating rules related to impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.
Hill stressed that the LVCVA's actions are in line with WNBA rules and expressed confidence that the investigation would validate their approach.
“I get completely and understand the need for the league to ask questions,” he said. “Really the only thing I think the league has said is that they are opening an investigation, which has kind of an ominous tone to the word. I don't know that they mean it that way or not, I hope not. I think after they investigate, they're going to say, ‘You know, completely following the rules here and wow, this could be a good thing.' So, hopefully, they embrace it.”
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