The Las Vegas Aces have had quite the past 12 months, as they won their first championship under first year head coach Becky Hammon, with A’ja Wilson collecting her second MVP award in the process.
This offseason, they added Candace Parker in what has become a two-team arms race with the New York Liberty, who added Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Courtney Vandersloot to create a clear top-two in the WNBA entering the 2023 season. On Thursday, the Aces made another big name addition, but this time to their ownership group, as Mark Davis and the team announced the recently retired Tom Brady has purchased an ownership stake in the team. Both Davis and Brady released statements on his acquisition of a stake in the team.
“Since I purchased the Aces, our goal has been to win on and off the court, explained Davis. “Tom Brady is a win not only for the Aces, and the WNBA, but for women’s professional sports as a whole.”
“I am very excited to be part of the Las Vegas Aces organization,” said Brady. “My lovefor women’s sports began at a young age when I would tag along to all my older sisters’ games – they were by far the best athletes in our house! We celebrated their accomplishments together as a family, and they remain a great inspiration to me.
“I have always been a huge fan of women’s sports, and I admire the work that the Aces’ players, staff, and the WNBA continue to do to grow the sport and empower future generations of athletes. To be able to contribute in any way to that mission as a member of the Aces organization is an incredible honor.”
Davis is among the “new-money” WNBA owners, in that he purchased the Aces fairly recently and, like Joe Tsai in New York, has a very different approach to spending than some of the long-time WNBA owners. Those factions have started butting heads over things like player travel, with Tsai and Davis pushing to change league rules that disallow teams from providing chartered flights to games. The addition of Brady figures to only add to what the Aces will be able to do financially, as well as giving them another big name to promote the team.
Given the recent growth of the WNBA, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more ownership moves in the near future as more people are starting to view the league as a unique investment opportunity in sports considering the opportunity for continued growth, where buying in now could pay considerable dividends in the future.