Las Vegas Aces fans cheer during a rally for the Las Vegas Aces on the Las Vegas Strip Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. The Aces beat the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals on Sunday to give Las Vegas its first professional championship.
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Aces celebrate championship
Francine Jackson waited with excitement to watch the Las Vegas Aces motorcade down Las Vegas Boulevard to celebrate their WNBA championship.
But the happiness just wasn't for herself. It was for her 6-year-old daughter, Leeah, to see that girls like her could accomplish anything.
“I brought her and her friends, because this is the state’s first professional championship,” Jackson said. “And it’s women.”
Thousands of Aces fans flocked the Strip to celebrate the team's first championship in franchise history, and the first major championship ever in the city's history.
The Aces' championship is a landmark in Las Vegas. But the victory was a reminder to the city that women in sports can empower a future generation of girls who want to accomplish the same goals.
“My daughter already likes basketball,” Jackson said. “I feel like any opportunity or spark to encourage her to be a part of a basketball team, and to be there for her to say, ‘I was there to see the Aces win the championship,’ I wanted her to be a part of it.
The Aces’ first championship spans three relocations dating back to 1997 in Salt Lake City as the Utah Starzz, and then relocating to San Antonio as the Silver Stars in 2002.
Danny Faumuina and his family have been Aces fans since the team moved to Las Vegas, but they understand the impact of franchise's beginnings in Utah. Faumuina has three daughters, and he’s happy to see his three young girls be inspired by what the Aces did this year.
Las Vegas finished a league-best 26-10, a team that finished with the coach of the year in Becky Hammon, the most improved player in the WNBA with Jackie Young, and the defensive player of the year and now two-time league MVP A’ja Wilson.
“We’ve come to a few games, said Faumuina, who lives in St. George, Utah. “It’s just incredible to see what women in sports can do, and I hope it does the same for my girls.”
The Aces’ parade eventually shut down both directions of the Strip. What started as a southbound closure from Caesars Palace to the Bellagio resulted in a crowd so large that it forced blockades heading north.
Aces general manager Natalie Williams commended owner Mark Davis for “putting his money where his mouth is” in supporting the league’s newest franchise. Wilson spoke during the playoffs about her early meetings with Davis and how a “football guy” — already owning the Las Vegas Raiders — was willing to put in the work to support not just the franchise, but to show an interest in the league.
“Thank you to the best fans in the entire world of sports,” Davis said to the packed crowd.
Jackson said that the Aces’ impact in the community has also played a role in her daughter wanting to get involved with basketball. She bought her a basketball hoop not too long ago because of how much Leeah loves the sport.
“That’s why I want her to look up to them, because they’re great people,” Jackson said. “It’s women empowerment, and it’s girl power. And it’s a great thing to see.”
