By Doug Feinberg Associated Press

July 25, 2026 - 7:52 pm

Aces exonerated for salary cap violation

CHICAGO — The WNBA’s investigation into whether a Las Vegas Aces sponsorship deal violated the salary cap was inconclusive, commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Saturday.

“No discipline will be recommended or imposed,” Engelbert said during her news conference prior to the WNBA All-Star Game. “Of course, if new or additional evidence comes to light, we’ll continue to investigate. But, you know, the integrity of our game is number one.”

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority offered in May 2024 a $100,000 sponsorship agreement to Aces players for each of the following two seasons. That amount exceeded the salaries for six of the players, according to Spotrac. Amid the league’s probe, the Aces received the sponsorships again in 2025.

No such agreement was offered for this season, but player salaries also dramatically rose after the new collective-bargaining agreement was completed in May. Each Aces player earns at least $270,000, according to Spotrac. The initial offer prompted the league to launch a probe into whether it skirted salary-cap rules.

Aces owner Mark Davis stood behind the sponsorship, saying his team “absolutely nothing done wrong” as the Aces were investigated by the league for potential rule breaches under the previous CBA after Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) gave each player on the team’s roster $100,000 sponsorships.

The sponsorships made national headlines when LVCVA president and CEO Steve Hill led a group that surprised Aces players with the news early in the 2024 season. The video of the players’ reactions received millions of views between multiple social media platforms.

“When we did it, we said it was a two-year deal and recognized it was a bridge,” Hill told the Review-Journal at this year’s NFL league meetings, which he attended to announce Las Vegas as the Super Bowl host city for 2029.

“Where we got the big bang of value was at the announcement. The players did great, certainly followed through on that commitment to put a spotlight on Las Vegas,” Hill said. “But a lot of what we do in marketing, where we get the biggest impact is when it’s new and exciting and different. Repeating that year after year just doesn’t provide that.”

Ultimately, Hill sees the league’s progress under the new CBA as a win.

“I don’t know how much we had to do with that, probably very little,” Hill said. “They’ve gone from kind of scrounging, really, to now getting in the ballpark of where they really ought to be. So we’re thrilled.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal contributed to this report.

The Associated Press