Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) stocked up by adding 43 former NCAA and Olympic stars to its ranks on Monday night, with Talons utility player Maya Brady — niece of retired NFL legend Tom Brady — leading the charge as the No. 1 overall pick by the incoming Oklahoma City Spark in the league's expansion draft.
Starting the inaugural 2025 AUSL campaign on injured reserve, the former UCLA standout went on to feature in six games for the championship-winning Talons, registering one double, one home run, and five RBIs on the season.
The now-six -team league absorbed the previously independent Spark as part of an initial expansion plan, acquiring the Oklahoma City-based squad with the intention of finding permanent homes for all AUSL teams in the near future.
Also joining the AUSL next year is new franchise Cascade, which snagged Volts pitcher and former University of Oklahoma ace Sam Landry as the No. 2 overall pick on Monday.
Though the four original teams protected five players each, the Spark and Cascade raided their rosters in the expansion draft, claiming stars like infielders Sydney Romero (Talons) and Jessi Warren (Volts) as well as pitchers Alana Vawter (Blaze) and Payton Gottshall (Volts) for their debut lineups.
Immediately following the expansion draft, all six teams took part in an allocation draft, selecting athletes from either the 2025 AUSL Reserve Pool or those previously competing outside the league.
Former Oklahoma and Oklahoma State pitcher Kelly Maxwell earned the top pick in the allocation draft, with the new Cascade player joined by other recent NCAA softball legends like former Sooners Kinzie Hansen, Jayda Coleman, and Jocelyn Alo, Florida State's Kat Sandercock and Sydney Sherrill, Washington's Sis Bates, and Clemson's Valerie Cagle.
The Las Vegas Aces celebrated their second-straight WNBA title on Tuesday with a banner raising and championship ring ceremony — as well as a pregame pep talk from NFL legend Tom Brady.
It all unfolded before the Aces took on the Mercury in front of a sellout home crowd at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Included in the ring design is the team’s 2023 motto, "Aces vs. Everybody," as well as 34 diamonds encrusting the team’s name to commemorate their league-record 34 regular season wins. It also features two trophies, signifying the back-to-back titles, with the trophy bases forming a reference to the franchise’s 14 playoff appearances.
"We're back," team owner Mark Davis announced during Tuesday's celebration. "Not only are we back, we're back-to-back world champions. All I can say is let's three-peat."
"We're so grateful to have a fan base that is supportive of us," two-time MVP A’ja Wilson told fans. "We're blessed to be in this situation. We worked our butts off to get to this point, so we just want to say thank you."
Brady’s attendance was a surprise for the players, with coach Becky Hammon saying she purposely didn’t tell players beforehand that the Aces minority owner would be visiting.
"I thought it would be cool to bring a sports figure in who's not only invested in our team, but also knows a few things about winning," Hammon said, smiling. "Just let him have the floor. He's somebody who has sat where they've sat — chasing history and trying to be the greatest.
"Those things don't just happen. You really have to be intentional about your work, your approach... And about winning the moments. We're certainly happy that he came and shared some of his knowledge and passion and really love for women's sports."
Brady shared a special message with the team ahead of the game, with Wilson adding a bit of insight after the final buzzer. The 2023 Finals MVP led the team with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in the Aces' 89-80 win over the Mercury.
"He was saying, 'The banners are always going to be there, so you don't have to try to defend that. Just go do what you've been doing,'" Wilson said. "That message made the night for me. Because I feel like we get so caught up in, 'Oh, my God, we've got to three-peat.'
“But that banner is going to be there forever. My ring is going to be in the trophy case forever. Let me focus on getting better, and then that's when everything else flows."
And as for the ring?
"The ring is nice... It's huge," Wilson said. "I was not expecting that. It's like diamonds all the way around — bling, bling, bling, bling, bling."
New Las Vegas Aces minority owner Tom Brady sat courtside for Sunday’s Game 1 win over the New York Liberty.
Kelsey Plum let the NFL great know she saw him. And she didn’t cut the Aces’ newest investor any slack, as the 29-year-old guard recalled after the game.
“It’s about effing time you showed up,” Plum told him.
Brady replied: “You already know.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion also responded after the game. “Nobody is safe from KP,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Nobody is safe from KP 😂 @LVAces @Kelseyplum10 https://t.co/EV1an1k4yI
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) October 8, 2023
While Plum appreciated Brady’s good-natured response from his seat at Las Vegas’ Michelob Ultra Arena, she also appreciates his connection to the franchise — and not just because she has referred to the retired quarterback as her favorite athlete.
“I’m super excited for his investment in our franchise, and understanding what that means for us and the growth of not just us but the league and putting eyes on us,” Plum said. “So I joke around, but, man, it’s been awesome to have him.”
The Aces announced Brady’s acquisition of a minority stake in March, soon after his retirement from the NFL. The WNBA approved his ownership stake just before the WNBA Finals.
Brady and Plum met during an Aces home game in May 2022, in which Plum made quite the impression — by barking at him. The pair continued their friendship from there, as Brady sent Plum a signed Buccaneers jersey with a personalized note.
NFL legend Tom Brady’s acquisition of an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Aces, finalized Monday, was met with enthusiasm from Aces players, star A’ja Wilson revealed.
When Wilson learned that Brady – a seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback – would become a minority owner of the Aces, her jaw dropped, she said Monday on SiriusXM show “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray.”
“Oh man, it was super dope,” she said. “It was super, super cool just to be able just to have someone that matters and cares for us to come in and be like, ‘I wanna help push this needle.’ And it’s something that we always needed.
“We always love when people have a seat at the table, and obviously Tom Brady has a seat at the table and for him to reach out and say, ‘I wanna be a part of this and helping it grow,’ it was truly, truly a lot of fun. I think we were all going in our group chat going crazy, because obviously Kelsey Plum barked at you, which was kind of weird, but now it’s kind of cool. (laughs) … We’re truly thankful.”
Brady, for his part, said it was a “long process” to get approved by the WNBA’s Board of Owners. The announcement of Brady’s intention to join the Aces’ ownership group was announced all the way back in March, but approval came just ahead of the team’s second consecutive WNBA Finals appearance.
Of course, the approval seemed to be a formality, with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert issuing a statement in which she praised the acquisition.
“Obviously women’s sports has meant a lot to me my whole life. I had three older sisters who were all better athletes than I was,” Brady said. “My whole childhood was going to watch them play at the softball fields, at the soccer fields, on the basketball courts. I love women’s sports. I love the empowerment that it gives young women, a great direction.
“Sports teaches us all so much and it’s certainly not reserved for men. And I love that women are getting the type of attention for the incredible athletes that they are in a lot of different sports, tennis, golf and basketball obviously. I love the sport and I love watching you guys play.”