The Impact of WNBA Investment? Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty Are Proof – The Messenger

Shortly after Joe Tsai bought the New York Liberty in 2019, Cathy Engelbert, who was the CEO of Deloitte and in the process of taking the job as WNBA commissioner, attended a Liberty game at the Westchester County Center, a 5,000-seat arena in White Plains, New York.
The nearly 100-year-old facility was located about an hour north of Madison Square Garden, the Liberty’s former home and nicknamed the “mecca of basketball.” The announced crowd for the game was less than 2,000.  
“I said what league did I join?” Engelbert reflected last week.
The WNBA was a league in transition and one that would begin to look vastly different following the 2019 sale of the Liberty to Tsai, who bought the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center later that year, and the 2021 sale of the Las Vegas Aces to Mark Davis, the owner of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders.
Tsai and Davis have treated owning WNBA teams the same way they have treated owning NBA and NFL teams by sparing no expense (and at times trying to circumvent the rules).
One of the first decisions Tsai made after purchasing the Liberty was moving them out of the Westchester County Center and into the Barclays Center, the $1 billion home of the Brooklyn Nets.
“It was important that the players got to play at Barclays and they got treated with equality from that perspective,” Engelbert said. “I think they've done a great job and come a long way, and obviously signed free agents. I think it's a great story about investing and building a roster that is going to compete for a championship.”
It’s no coincidence that the Aces and the Liberty are playing in the WNBA Finals. The two teams have been on a collision course since making major offseason roster moves. The Aces finished the season with a WNBA-record 34 wins while the Liberty were right behind them with 32, plus a Commissioner’s Cup victory.  
No two franchises have invested in their teams quite like the Aces and Liberty and it has resulted in two of the most dominant teams in WNBA history.
Before the start of this season, the Aces moved into their new $40 million, 64,000-square-foot facility and headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, which sits next to the Raiders’ facility and headquarters. It’s the first practice facility built solely for a WNBA team and features two-full-size courts, hot and cold tubs and a state-of-the-art weight room and locker room with a television and computer in each player’s locker.
“It’s a blessing,” said Aces forward and two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson. “I’m grateful every single day that I got drafted to Las Vegas, a franchise, ownership and organization that puts players first. They take our input and they try to make it happen. Anything that you can think of we have in our practice facility and if we don’t have it, we can get it soon. That’s always a blessing. When you feel good, you play good and you want to win. And when you win, great things come. We’re all grateful to be a part of an organization that takes care of us.”
The Liberty use the practice court at Barclays Center, which enables them to have a home base most WNBA teams do not, using the same weight room and locker rooms on game days and practice days. The team also offers player housing next to the arena.
“It really does start with ownership,” said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. “They have given us everything that we need to go out there and focus on being the best basketball team we can. You need the investment from the ownership and both of our clubs do have that with wonderful owners, great leadership and bringing in really good players that are committed to the vision we all set out for our team. The players don’t have to worry about anything other than performing.”  
This past offseason, the Liberty became a destination franchise and signed All-Stars Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, with all three agreeing to less than a supermax contract in order to leave roster space open.
Vandersloot cited the team’s ownership with making her decision easy. 
“It’s one of the main reasons why I am here today because I saw the vision and I heard the vision and they’re willing to do whatever it takes,” she said “That’s what we as a league all are looking for. It’s nice that the New York Liberty are at the forefront of that.”
The Aces began to raise the bar when they hired Becky Hammon in 2022, paying her a record $1 million per season. Hammon, who was an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich at the NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 2014-2022, was sold on Las Vegas’ vision to build a dynasty in the desert.
“Your investment from your leadership matters and support from your leadership matters,” said Hammon, who was named WNBA Coach of the Year in her first season. “You’re going to get a trickle down effect. If you have an organization and leadership group that values you, you tend to want to work for those kinds of people.”
Beyond investing in facilities, players and coaches, the Liberty and Aces have gotten into trouble for trying to circumvent the WNBA’s rules against charter flight travel. New York was fined a record $500,000 for paying for charter flights during the second half of the 2021 season and for a Labor Day weekend trip to Napa. Las Vegas was warned by the league earlier this year and had to cancel travel arrangements after working with JetSuiteX on “pop up routes” the public charter carrier doesn’t normally offer that aligned with Las Vegas’ road schedule.
“I think the Tsais and Mark Davis have really set the standard,” Hammon said. “We have seen the benefits of that standard and they have raised that standard. Those two have very specifically shown great investment in the women, in the product that they put out there and the amenities and the way they take care of their players. I don’t think it’s any surprise that players want to come to a group and to an organization where the owners are in on it. To me, that’s not coincidental. Your leadership matters.” 

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