Franchise History

Utah Starzz (1997-2002)

The franchise’s first owner was businessman Larry H. Miller, who also owned the Utah Jazz.

After earning just seven wins in their inaugural season, the Starzz steadily improved, upping their numbers of victories each year through 2002, their most successful during their stint in Utah.

Although the Starzz didn’t post their first winning season until 2000, the play of center Natalie Williams was a bright spot in the team’s early years. Utah’s No. 3 pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft was a three-time All-WNBA first team and three-time WNBA All-Star from 1999-2001, and she helped power the Starzz to their first playoff appearance in 2001and first trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

Other highlights from the Utah years include the selection of Dena Head as the No. 1 pick in the 1997 Elite Draft and the franchise’s first true No. 1 pick in the 1998 WNBA Draft, Margo Dydek, who still owns the WNBA career records for blocked shots (877) and average blocks per game (2.72).

In addition to Williams’ honors, Wendy Palmer listed on the 1997 All-WNBA second team and Marie Ferdinand and Adrienne Goodson were 2002 WNBA All-Stars. 

Despite the team’s growth over its six years in Utah, in 2002 Miller sold the franchise to Peter Holt, owner of the San Antonio Spurs, and the team relocated to Texas.

Las Vegas Aces (2018-present)

In 2008 the Silver Stars posted a league-best 24–10 record and reached the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they fell to the Detroit Shock, marking the most successful season for the franchise during its time in Texas.

After playing in just one game due to a pair of injuries sustained in 2013, Hammon returned in 2014 to help lead the franchise to its final playoff appearance in Texas. She retired after that season, and San Antonio, by then known simply as the Stars, fell swiftly in the standings. The team had the worst record in the league from 2015 to 2017, winning no more than eight games in any of those seasons.

However, those losing seasons provided the Stars with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, which they used to select the then-NCAA all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who went on to aid the franchise to its first two WNBA titles a few years later.

While in San Antonio, the franchise produced a pair of All-WNBA first team selections in Hammon (2007, 2008) and Young-Malcolm (2008) and second-teamers Hammon (2008), Danielle Robinson (2014) and Young-Malcolm (2007, 2009, 2012). Robinson (2012-2014), Jia Perkins (2013) and Young-Malcolm (2008, 2012) also earned all-defensive honors; while Danielle Adams (2011), Moriah Jefferson (2016), Katie Mattera (2005), Camille Little (2007), Kayla McBride (2014), Plum (2017), Robinson (2011) and Young-Malcolm (2006) were WNBA All-Rookie Team members. Dan Hughes, who orchestrated the trade for Hammon, was the 2007 WNBA Coach of the Year.

In addition to the end-of-season awards, the Stars were represented in WNBA All-Star Games by eight athletes, including Adams (2011), Dydek (2003), Ferdinand (2003, 2005), Hammon (2007, 2009, 2011), McBride (2015), Robinson (2013-15), and Young-Malcolm (2006-07, 2009).

Las Vegas Aces (2018-present)

MGM Resorts International bought the team and relocated it to Nevada, renaming it the Las Vegas Aces.

In the 2018 draft the Aces selected forward A’ja Wilson with the No. 1 overall pick. That season Wilson averaged 20.7 points and 8 rebounds per game and won the Rookie of the Year award. After finishing 9th in the league with a 14-20 record, the Aces again had the No. 1 pick in 2019 and took Jackie Young, marking three straight No. 1 draft picks for the franchise.

The franchise saw immediate returns as the Aces finished no lower than 4th in the regular season standings since 2019, stringing together seven straight winning seasons.

After advancing to the WNBA Semifinals in 2019, the team made its second finals appearance in franchise history in 2020, but fell to Seattle in the finals. After another semifinals appearance in 2021, the Aces replaced head coach Bill Laimbeer with Hammon, who had become the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history, as a member of the Spurs staff.

Hammon returned the Aces to the finals, but this time the championship would not evade the franchise after the team downed Phoenix in the quarterfinals and Seattle in the semis before dispatching Connecticut 3-1 in the championship series. The honors piled up for the Aces, with Wilson securing her second league M’VP title, Chelsea Gray earning CC MVP and Finals MVP honors and Hammon being named the WNBA Coach of the Year. Representing the Aces as All-Stars were Dearica Hamby, Plum, Wilson and Young. Additionally, prior to capturing the WNBA crown, the Aces posted a 9-1 record in Commissioner’s Cup play before earning that trophy with a 93-83 win over Chicago in the CC title game.

Las Vegas had another stellar year in 2023, finishing with a league-record 34 victories over the 40-game season. The team easily returned to the finals, sweeping Chicago 2-0 and Dallas 3-0. However, after going up 2-0 against New York in the finals, the Aces lost Game 3 in New York. Las Vegas, which already was dealt a blow with the departure of an injured Candace Parker after the team’s 16-2 start to the year, headed into Game 4 on the Liberty’s home court with injuries to starters Gray and Kiah Stokes. After falling behind by 12 early in the third quarter, the Aces reeled it back and took a 53-51 edge into the final stanza and were up 70-64 with 1:27 remaining. Although New York scored the final 5 points, its potential game-winner was off the mark and the Aces celebrated as the first WNBA team in two decades to win back-to-back titles.  

Boasting four All-Stars (Gray, Plum, Wilson, Young), the 2023 Aces also listed league and WNBA Finals M’VP Wilson, Sixth Player of the Year Alysha Clark, All-WNBA honorees Gray, Wilson and Young, and the WNBA All-Defensive first team featured Wilson.

While 2024 was an ‘off year’ for the Aces, the team still finished No. 4 at the end of the regular season with a 27-13 slate and advanced to the semifinals. Additionally, Las Vegas featured M’VP Wilson and Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes, as well as four All-Stars, each of whom also won Olympic gold in Paris (Gray, Plum, Wilson, Young).

After an up and down start to 2025, in which the Aces were 14-14 and fighting for a playoff spot two thirds of the way in, the team closed with 16 straight wins and clinched the No. 2 seed heading into postseason play. Las Vegas downed Seattle in the quarterfinals and Indiana in the semis before winning the first two WNBA Finals games in ‘The House.’ Playing in Phoenix, the Aces entered the final frame of Game 3 with a 17-point cushion, but their shooting went cold and the Mercury tied the game with 1:41 to play and it was again knotted with 61 seconds remaining. With time running out, neither team was able to score and with 5 seconds on the clock, Hammon called a timeout to quickly regroup. Her play was simple: get the ball to Wilson. Gray inbounded the ball to Wilson, who took a couple dribbles before connecting on a turnaround jumper over a pair of defenders. With less than a second remaining and Phoenix unable to hit the basket at the buzzer, Wilson’s bucket put the Aces up 3-0 in the best-of-seven championship series and the team went on to sweep Phoenix for its third WNBA title in four years.

The Aces again were well represented among the WNBA award winners. Wilson became the first person in WNBA or MNBA history to finish as the league’s scoring leader while also earning M’VP, Finals M’VP and Defensive Player of the Year honors, not to mention she is now the first player in league history to be awarded the M’VP trophy four times. Wilson (first team and all-defensive first team) and Young (second team) collected All-WNBA accolades and the duo also were 2025 WNBA All-Star starters.