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At home with the Aces: What they love about Las Vegas

A’ja Wilson and the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces lead the charge into the WNBA semifinals. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas is known for its gaudy casinos, lavish shows and over-the-top atmosphere.

One of the most-visited cities in the world, the Nevada hotspot offers a prime attraction for tourists: The bustling Strip, which features more than 30 casinos, including Mandalay Bay.

Inside the resort and casino, past a nightclub, restaurants, poker tables and the vibrant lights of ringing slot machines, is Michelob Ultra Arena – home of the Las Vegas Aces.

With their up-tempo style of play and high-octane offense, the Aces reflect the city they call home. With a WNBA-high 90.4 points per game, the Aces spend four months of the year bringing another brand of flashy excitement to the Strip.

When they leave the court, though, Sin City’s basketball team retreats to a much quieter way of life.

“If I’m relaxing on a day off, I’m probably not leaving the apartment,” Sydney Colson said with a laugh.

If she does venture out, Colson usually spends her free time shopping or going to see a movie – but it has to be something worth seeing on the big screen to get her to journey to a theater.

“I want to go see the new Jordan Peele movie ‘Nope,’ and ‘The Woman King’ with Viola Davis,” Colson said. “Action-type stuff, I want to see on the big screen.”

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(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Kelsey Plum is another player who knows the comforts of home well. She missed the 2020 season with a torn Achilles, and that coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic kept her indoors.

Now, Plum is taking advantage of her health – both on the court and off. But like Colson, she keeps things relaxed.

For locals, Las Vegas is entirely different than it is for tourists. 

“All the people who come here stay on the Strip, and that’s great, but I haven’t been on the Strip in years,” Plum said. “I mean, I play here, but I don’t really stay here. So, (if you live in Vegas), it’s chill. There’s a great energy, and a lot of cool people here.”

When she has the time, Plum likes to explore the city via food. Trying out restaurants off the beaten path is her favorite thing to do in Las Vegas.

“I recently went to this place called Thai Curry, and it was really good,” she said. “It was in a strip-mall type place. I got pad Thai and curry, and it was awesome.”

Rookie Aisha Sheppard is new to the WNBA and to Las Vegas. She still likes to venture out to the more crowded parts of town, mostly to indulge in her favorite hobby – shopping.

The rookie didn’t get to experiment much with fashion in college, so now she loves the art of a tunnel fit.

“My style is very versatile,” she said. “I have a couple of different signature pieces, but then I can also go to H&M and just wear a regular outfit and I can still make it my own.”

Her favorite purchase to date is a pair of Off-White sunglasses. The glasses were a splurge, which Sheppard said she doesn’t normally do. And though she’s explored places like Caesars Palace to look in shops, walking the Strip is also something the rookie doesn’t do. 

Instead, like Colson and Plum, she prefers to hang out in the more relaxing parts of the city.

“It’s kind of the calm before the storm, and the calm is everywhere outside of the Strip, or downtown,” she said. “And then in the Strip then you’ll run into a little bit of that chaos.”

Being a resident, Jackie Young said, is like “not even living in Vegas.” At least not in the stereotypical Sin City style.

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(Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The craziest place Young goes? TopGolf.

It’s one of her favorite activities to do in the city, and while she won’t go as far as to say she’s good at it, Young said she can get some distance on the ball when she swings.

TopGolf is an activity the Aces sometimes do together. Young couldn’t pinpoint the best player on the team, but she was quick to call out her least-skilled teammate.

“A’ja is the worst,” she said with a smile.

Wilson is good at a lot of things – and she has brand new Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player trophies to prove it – but the Aces star admitted that her talents do not extend to TopGolf.

“That is a true statement,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I am in last place when it comes to TopGolf. It is not my thing.”

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(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Vegas, though — Vegas is her thing.

This is Wilson’s fifth year in the WNBA, and all of those have been spent with the Aces. She has great affection for both her team and for the city in which she plays.

“My favorite thing about living in Vegas is there’s always something to do,” she said. “But yet if you don’t want to do something, you don’t have to do anything. You can still chill. You can go out by the pool, you could just stay in your house and go or just people watch. I think that’s the beautiful thing.

“I love living in Las Vegas.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Indiana Fever Shoots for Redemption Against Seattle Storm

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark waits for an inbound pass during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Fever are looking to end a two-game losing streak. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm headline a series of games that could make or break the current trajectories of several 2025 title contenders.

Seeking an especially strong Tuesday performance is the Fever, as Indiana tries to snap a two-game losing streak against the increasingly confident Storm.

"There are going to be stretches that are really good and there's going to be stretches that aren't as good," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said on Sunday, addressing her recent shooting slump.

While the Indiana and Seattle clash will lead the Tuesday charge, the night will also see young squads sizing up WNBA juggernauts as bottom-table teams look for a leg up:

  • No. 8 Indiana Fever vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Fever need a win against a Storm side that can't seem to lose, as both teams eye the postseason.
  • No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-coming Mystics will attempt to hand the Lynx a second season loss, as Minnesota star Napheesa Collier remains day-to-day with lower back stiffness.
  • No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Dream are on a tear, surging up the standings as the struggling Wings attempt to take flight.
  • No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks have cooled after a hot start while the Sky has yet to rev up, with both teams aiming to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night.

Teams across the league are hoping to make the most of every minute while also managing injury concerns and absences as the WNBA All-Star break looms.

WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds Shift as 2025 Draft Picks Heat Up

Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron guards Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers during a 2025 WNBA game.
Washington rookie Sonia Citron and first-year Dallas star Paige Bueckers are both off to hot starts in their WNBA careers. (Stephen Goslings/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA Class of 2025 is already making its mark on the league, with first-year players stepping up and showing out while the Rookie of the Year race — and betting odds — heat up.

No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers has been just as good as advertised, with the Dallas Wings guard leading her class in both minutes played and points per game while also charting league-wide in assists per game, steals per game, and mid-range shots made.

DraftKings currently has Bueckers as the clear WNBA Rookie of the Year race frontrunner at -1,000, though the dynamic DC duo of guard Sonia Citron (+1,500) and forward Kiki Iriafen (+1,000) are quickly gaining traction.

Iriafen won May's WNBA Rookie of the Month award after a series of career-opening double-doubles, while her Washington Mystics teammate Citron has continued to execute in the clutch — most recently posting a career-high double-double performance of 27 points and 11 rebounds in last Sunday's 91-88 overtime win over Dallas.

"Not only is [Iriafen] holding her own, she's excelling," Citron told JWS earlier this month. "And seeing that is just incredible."

"Soni just does all the little things," Iriafen added. "She doesn't shortcut anything, she's doing the fundamentals, she doesn't cheat the game at all."

International Signings Ramp Up as Soccer Teams Break for Women’s Euro 2025

San Diego Wave forward María Sánchez dribbles the ball during a 2025 NWSL match.
San Diego forward María Sánchez is transferring to Liga MX side UANL Tigres. (John Matthew Harrison/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Though the NWSL hit the pause button this week, players worldwide are still on the move, as both European and US soccer teams use the midseason break to sharpen their lineups with international signings.

The NWSL has already seen one major departure, with the San Diego Wave announcing Monday that forward María Sánchez will return to her former Liga MX club UANL Tigres after nearly five years in the NWSL, with the Wave set to receive an undisclosed transfer fee in return.

"When the opportunity came to return to Tigres, I had to do a lot of inner searching, and I ultimately decided that returning to Liga MX Femenil and Tigres specifically was the best course of action for my career," the 29-year-old dual citizen and Mexico international player said in the Wave's release.

NWSL clubs are also setting their sights on European free agents, with the Washington Spirit bringing in Juventus forward Sofia Cantore last week — the first Italian signing in league history.

Also hopping aboard the player transaction carousel is new WSL side London City, with the top-flight debutantes inking OL Lyonnes midfielder and Dutch international Daniëlle van de Donk on Friday.

Meanwhile, van de Donk's wife and club teammate Ellie Carpenter is also potentially WSL-bound, with the defender reportedly nearing a deal that would see the Australian join Chelsea FC in return for the Blues sending Canadian international Ashley Lawrence to OL Lyonnes.

For their part, OL Lyonnes picked up defender Ingrid Engen from Barcelona as a free agent last week, adding the Norwegian international after snagging French forward and PSG's all-time leading scorer Marie-Antoinette Katoto earlier this month.

With the most recent NWSL CBA abolishing traditional trade windows, expect even more international signings and roster reshufflings before the league resumes play on August 1st.

San Diego Wave Honors Alex Morgan with Jersey Retirement

San Diego Wave players applaud Alex Morgan as she exits the pitch during her final NWSL game in 2024.
Morgan won the NWSL Shield with San Diego in 2023. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

San Diego is paying tribute to one of their own, with the Wave announcing plans to retire the No. 13 jersey of NWSL and USWNT legend Alex Morgan on September 7th.

Still topping the team's all-time scoring leaderboard with 23 goals in just over two seasons with San Diego, the retired club captain will be the first-ever Wave player to receive the prestigious honor.

Morgan also led San Diego to the 2023 NWSL Shield as well as postseason appearances in the 2022 expansion club's first two seasons.

"Alex's legacy goes far beyond goals and accolades. She helped lay the foundation for this club and elevated the standard for what women's soccer is today," said Wave FC governor Lauren Leichtman in the team's Tuesday announcement.

"She made this city her home, inspired our fans and community, and helped define who we are," Leichtman continued. "Her impact will be felt for generations, and it's only fitting that her number becomes a permanent part of Wave FC history." 

Morgan joined the Southern California squad's ownership group just last month, saying "San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career."

How to attend the San Diego jersey retirement of Alex Morgan

San Diego will officially retire Morgan's No. 13 jersey during their home match against the Houston Dash at 8 PM ET on September 7th.

Tickets to the game will go on sale to the general public online at 6 PM ET on Tuesday.

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