On Friday’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Jackie Powell is joined by The Next and the IX Newsletter’s Howard Megdal to discuss his latest reporting out of the investigation into the Las Vegas Aces and their relationship with Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the organization that announced in May that it intended to pay each Aces player $100,000 in addition to their league salary.
What did Howard learn from over 900 pages of emails that were provided to him via the Freedom of Information Act? Also, the pair dive into why this investigation matters to begin with and why it protects the future of the WNBA. Lastly, Jackie and Howard connect the dots between this investigation and the latest lawsuit that Dearica Hamby filed against the Aces and the WNBA.
On May 17, the LVCVA announced it would pay each Aces player $100,000, which, for top earners, is a significant bonus and, for lower-paid players, exceeds their annual salaries. This deal raised concerns about compliance with the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), leading the league to hire a law firm to investigate the matter further.
Howard notes, “The WNBA had some questions about how this came about, whether it was kosher within the framework of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.” He elaborates that the league’s concern centers on whether the Aces were involved in orchestrating these payments, which could potentially violate CBA rules on salary cap circumvention.
Later, Howard explains, “If some teams are able to do things other teams are either unable to do or are unaware that they’re able to do, it ultimately tilts the league in a specific direction.” This situation underscores the importance of enforcing CBA rules to maintain fairness and integrity within the league.
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