Caleb Harris
NASHVILLE — The WNBA has not yet spoken with Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis about its latest investigation into his team, but he is ready to talk when the league ends.
A day after the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced an unprecedented $1.2 million sponsorship for a dozen Aces, the WNBA announced it was opening an investigation into the deal.
Davis told CBS Sports on Wednesday that the league will find “absolutely nothing” wrong with the deal.
“There was absolutely nothing wrong,” Davis said at the conclusion of the NFL league meetings, where he also represented his Las Vegas Raiders. “And I think it’s sad that they used the word investigation instead of something a little softer to say, ‘Hey, we can look into this’ or something like that. But they’re going to find that there’s nothing wrong.”
Last week, the LVCVA announced the $100,000-per-player sponsorship deal that the group says was negotiated with each player and their agent individually. WNBA rules prohibit teams from facilitating such agreements so as not to violate the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
The WNBA has a strict salary cap of $1.4 million. And competitive fairness questions have been raised about paying players outside of their contracts in certain markets – or with certain team owners – who have deeper pockets than some rivals.
Davis said his main goal in purchasing the Aces in 2021 was to get the players paid more money. He hired Becky Hammon as head coach, marking the first time a WNBA coach made at least $1 million. The Aces have won back-to-back WNBA titles and are currently 2-1 on the young season.
“I’m very proud (of the LVCVA) for doing this and recognizing the value women bring to the community,” Davis said. “If we actually get hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars for all the players, they will be able to stay in the community. They don’t have to go overseas to play. They will have the resources to stay to work in the community, work with kids and everything more. And that’s the vision I have for the league’s growth. Obviously, there are ways we can’t compensate them, but there are also third parties that can.
Davis said the WNBA’s use of the word investigation could have a chilling effect on other potential sponsors, both in Las Vegas and other markets.
“When you say ‘investigation,’ other organizations that are in our community might say, ‘Hey, we might want to sit back and wait. Maybe this is illegal’ or this or that,” Davis said. “And I think that’s the wrong approach.
“Again, the word investigation is not a good one. It should have been, ‘This is great. Let’s see more of these come forward and do this.'”
Davis also sees a potential double standard within the WNBA. He said it is against WNBA rules for Davis’ Raiders to sponsor the Aces or the players. But he noted that Nike, which is an equity investor in the league, may sponsor players — including one in particular.
“Nike owns the WNBA and they can sponsor Caitlin Clark for $28 million for one player. And no one is complaining or investigating,” Davis said. “And I think it’s great that Nike is doing this. But let’s give credit where credit is due: The Las Vegas Convention Authority is stepping up and recognizing these women.”
