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37-799: It is the home arena for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association and was previously home to the Las Vegas Desert Dogs of the National Lacrosse League . The arena also hosts a variety of music, sports, and entertainment events. The facility opened as the Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 10, 1999, with a performance by opera singer Luciano Pavarotti . It was his first Las Vegas concert since 1985. The facility opened

74-712: A comprehensive marketing and tenancy agreement. The 999th episode of WWE Raw was held at the arena on July 16, 2012, the first time the WWE performed at Mandalay Bay. The first National Basketball Association game on the Las Vegas Strip since 1981 was at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on October 6, 2012, a preseason contest between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers . The teams returned for preseason games in 2013 and 2014. During

111-646: A game against Seattle Redhawks while the National Finals Rodeo occupied UNLV's home arena, the Thomas & Mack Center . Michelob Ultra Arena also played hosted to the Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament from 2021 to 2023. On August 29, 2017, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that Las Vegas had been awarded an NLL franchise to begin playing in December 2022 for

148-580: A month after the Mandalay Bay resort, and included a 30,218 sq ft (2,807.3 m) floor. The venue was originally planned to include 8,000 seats, but boxing promoter Bob Arum convinced Mandalay Resort Group to increase this to 12,000. The Mandalay Bay Events Center gave Las Vegas its third musical arena, joining the Thomas & Mack Center and the MGM Grand Garden Arena . MGM Mirage acquired Mandalay Resort Group and

185-1008: The 2018 season . The Aces, who are owned by Mark and Carol Davis , the current owners of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders , and Tom Brady , are one of three WNBA franchises who compete in a market that lacks a current NBA team; the other two teams are the Connecticut Sun and the Seattle Storm . As the Stars, the team qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in seven of their fifteen years in San Antonio. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as all-star point guard Becky Hammon , solid power-forward Sophia Young , former first-overall draft pick Ann Wauters , seven-foot-two-inch center Margo Dydek , two-time Sixth Woman of

222-634: The 2021–22 NBA G League season , the Michelob Ultra Arena would serve as one of the temporary home arenas for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México during their inaugural season at the NBA G League despite also being temporarily stationed at Fort Worth, Texas at the time due to the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic . Not only that, but it would also serve as the neutral hosting site for

259-564: The 2022–2023 season . The team became known as the Las Vegas Desert Dogs . The team moved to the Lee's Family Forum starting with the 2024–25 season. The 2016 Spring North American League of Legends Championship Series Finals were hosted at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 16 and 17, 2016. From 2016 to 2023 , the Evolution Championship Series fighting game tournament has held its final day of competition at

296-889: The Houston Comets in the Western Conference Semifinals 2 games to 1. Their playoff run ended in the Western Finals, however, as they were swept aside by the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Sparks . When the NBA divested itself of all of its WNBA franchises at the end of the 2002 season, the Utah Jazz ownership did not wish to retain ownership of the Starzz. The Starzz then looked for local Utah potential buyers, but none were found, leaving

333-612: The Las Vegas metropolitan area . The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference . The team plays their home games at Michelob Ultra Arena in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino , and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada . The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA Championship. The Aces also won the 2023 WNBA Championship, becoming

370-651: The WNBA All-Star Game and related All-Star events three times: 2019 , 2021 , and 2023 . In 2021, Michelob Ultra Arena hosted a training camp for USA Basketball prior to their departure for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo , Japan . The arena hosted the NCAA Men's basketball postseason tournament Vegas 16 in its only season, 2016. In 2021, the arena hosted the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball for

407-514: The 2010 revival of the Lilith Fair on July 9. On August 23, 2010, the arena served as the venue for Miss Universe 2010 where at the conclusion of the event Ximena Navarrete of Mexico was crowned as the winner. January 28, 2011, Ozzy Osbourne performed as part of his tour for his new album Let Me Hear You Scream . The cast of Glee were there on the first stop on their Glee Live! In Concert! tour on May 21, 2011. On May 14, 2017,

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444-680: The Aces are held by KVVU-TV , owned by Gray Television . A minimum of ten games air on KVVU, with the remaining games airing on Silver State Sports and Entertainment Network , a subchannel of KVVU. KVVU also broadcasts a 30-minute weekly show on the Aces. Some Aces games are broadcast nationally on ESPN , ESPN2 , ABC , Ion Television , CBS and the CBS Sports Network . On radio, Aces games are broadcast locally on KWWN ESPN Las Vegas . 2022 WNBA Commissioner%27s Cup The 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by Coinbase

481-536: The Latin Grammy Awards for a seventh time in 2022 . Footage of a boxing match between Oscar De La Hoya and Oba Carr , taking place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, was used in the 1999 film Play It to the Bone . The final boxing match in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa was also filmed at the venue. Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in

518-589: The Mandalay Bay Events Center starting in the 2018 season as the Las Vegas Aces. They played their first home game on May 27, 2018. The arena has hosted the Aces in the WNBA Finals twice, in 2022 and 2023 . The Aces have four banners hanging from the rafters at the arena: one for the retirement of Becky Hammon 's number 25, two for their WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023, and one for their 2022 Commissioner's Cup championship. The arena has hosted

555-540: The Mandalay Bay Events Center. Rock band Journey performed at the arena in December 2000 which was filmed for the Journey 2001 DVD. VH1 held the first two Rock Honors ceremonies in this facility in 2006 and 2007. It was the host of Yanni 's Yanni Live! The Concert Event , in 2006. The arena hosted Crüe Fest on August 1, 2008. It played host to 311 's biennial 3-11 Day concert on March 11, 2010. The band played four sets with 60 songs total. The arena hosted

592-626: The Showcase Cup Tournament for the G League (which would continue its existence following the 2021–22 season), as well as the home arena for the NBA G League Ignite during that entire season for them, including a couple of exhibition games played against the Capitanes. The NBA and WNBA officially announced on October 17, 2017, that the San Antonio Stars would relocate from San Antonio, Texas, and would be playing at

629-667: The WNBA Finals, the Silver Stars faced the Detroit Shock , who were making their third WNBA Finals appearance in a row. In Game 1 at home, the Silver Stars fell behind early, but would tie the game at 69 with 2:15 left in the 4th quarter. But from there the Shock took control once again and won the game 77–69. The 2010 season was not much different for the Stars. They finished with an unimpressive 14–20 record but sneaked into

666-621: The Western Conference. On August 4, 2007, the Silver Stars clinched their first playoff berth since the franchise relocated to San Antonio in 2003. In the first round, the Silver Stars were matched up against the Sacramento Monarchs. After losing game 1 in Sacramento, the Silver Stars would win games 2 and 3 to advance to the Western Finals. The Silver Stars faced off against a strong Phoenix Mercury team, which had

703-588: The Year Dearica Hamby , and three-time league MVP A'ja Wilson . The franchise has gone to the WNBA Finals four times: first in 2008 , losing to Detroit , in 2020 losing to Seattle, and in 2022 winning against Connecticut, and in 2023 winning against New York. One of the eight original WNBA teams, the Utah Starzz (partially named after the old ABA team, the Utah Stars , but with

740-681: The arena hosted Miss USA 2017 pageant. The 25th Billboard Latin Music Awards was held in the Events Center on April 26, 2018. British heavy metal band Iron Maiden are slated to perform their The Future Past World Tour on October 5, 2024. The arena has hosted the Latin Grammy Awards seven times. The Latin Grammys were held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in 2007 and from 2009 to 2013 . The arena hosted

777-569: The first team to win back-to-back championships since 2001-2002, when the Los Angeles Sparks completed that feat. The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah , as the Utah Starzz before the league's inaugural 1997 season . It then moved to San Antonio, Texas before the 2003 season and became the San Antonio Silver Stars, later shortened to the San Antonio Stars in 2014. The team relocated to Las Vegas before

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814-639: The first time in league history a team has sold out their season tickets. On May 17, 2024, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced that they would be gifting each player on the 2024 Aces roster a $ 100,000 sponsorship. This sponsorship is independent of the Aces organization as per the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement . On May 18, 2024, the WNBA opened an investigation into these sponsorships. The television rights for

851-699: The franchise was unable to change its old losing trend and did not make the playoffs. The 2007 season brought a lot of change for the Silver Stars. They acquired stars Becky Hammon , Ruth Riley , and Sandora Irvin in trades, selected Helen Darling in Charlotte Sting 's dispersal draft , drafted Camille Little in the second round, signed Erin Buescher during the off-season, and retained key players, such as Marie Ferdinand-Harris , Vickie Johnson , Shanna Crossley , Kendra Wecker , and Sophia Young . The new-look Silver Stars became an instant contender in

888-580: The franchise with the choices of either being sold to out-of-town investor(s) or folding. The Starzz avoided folding when the franchise was sold to Peter Holt (the owner of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs ) and relocated to San Antonio . The team's name was changed to the San Antonio Silver Stars and would change its team colors to the silver and black motif used by the Spurs. For the first four seasons (2003–2006) after moving to San Antonio,

925-542: The high-profile Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah Light welterweight title unification , match on July 23, 2011. As of July 2018, the Mandalay Bay Events Center has held 31 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, starting with UFC 33 , and most recently, UFC Fight Night 88 . It held the largest UFC weigh-in show in history in conjunction with International Fight Week 2012 ahead of UFC 148 welcoming 10,000 fans. UFC cards in Vegas have since moved to T-Mobile Arena as part of

962-515: The number one seed in the Western Conference. On September 1, 2007, the Silver Stars' season came to an end after the Stars lost Game 2 98–92 in Phoenix. Heading into 2008, the Silver Stars were regarded as a premiere contender and did not disappoint. After an average start, the Stars seized control of the Western Conference and rode to the best record in the West, and the first seed in the playoffs. In

999-565: The pickup of Dydek did little to help their cause and they again finished near the bottom of the league in the 1998 & 1999 seasons. The Starzz finally posted a winning record in 2000, but did not make the playoffs. In 2001, the Utah Starzz made it to the playoffs for the first time, but they were quickly swept in the first round by the Sacramento Monarchs . In 2002, the Starzz made it to the playoffs again, and this time beat

1036-481: The team name was officially announced as the Las Vegas Aces . They received the first pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, and picked South Carolina's A'ja Wilson . On January 14, 2021, Mark Davis and his mother Carol , owners of the Las Vegas Raiders , agreed to purchase the team from MGM. The purchase was approved by the league on February 12, 2021. Shortly after the purchase of the team by Davis, ground

1073-591: The team up for sale, following the 2017 season, it became apparent the team would be on the move. The NBA and WNBA approved the sale of the Stars to MGM Resorts on October 17, 2017, with the intention of relocating the team to Las Vegas and playing at the Michelob Ultra Arena starting in the 2018 season. On December 11, 2017, at a press conference inside the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas,

1110-541: The third seed of the playoffs in a below-average Western Conference . The Silver Stars were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix and it was clear that some changes were needed. In the 2012 playoffs , the Silver Stars lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Sparks . The team would miss the playoffs in 2013. In the 2014 playoffs , the Stars would lose in the first round to the Minnesota Lynx . After Spurs Sports & Entertainment decided to put

1147-793: The top record in designated “Cup games” then compete for the Commissioner's Cup title and a special prize pool. Cup games are the first home game and first road game each team plays against its five conference rivals. The Las Vegas Aces clinched the Western Conference spot in the Cup Final on June 15, 2022, after their win against the Dallas Wings . The Chicago Sky clinched the Eastern Conference spot on June 19, 2022. New this year, there will be incentives to win with money for local nonprofits. The WNBA will donate $ 2,000 to

Michelob Ultra Arena - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-469: The venue in 2005, and was later renamed MGM Resorts International. Around 2014, MGM considered turning the facility into a theater, before deciding to build the Park Theater instead. In February 2021, the venue was renamed Michelob Ultra Arena, through a partnership with brewing company Anheuser-Busch . It is named after the company's Michelob Ultra beer. The arena hosts boxing matches, including

1221-456: The zz at the end like the Utah Jazz ) never met the same success as their (former) counterpart in the NBA , the Utah Jazz. They held the distinction of having the worst record in the WNBA in 1997 and were the first team to select in the 1998 WNBA draft . With their selection, they picked 7 ft. 2 in. center Margo Dydek , who easily became the tallest player in WNBA history. Unfortunately,

1258-526: Was announced that former NFL quarterback Tom Brady had purchased a minority stake in the team. The Aces would go on to defend their WNBA Championship against the New York Liberty . On March 6, 2024, the Aces debuted new uniforms and a new silver and black color scheme matching that of Davis's other team the Raiders. A day later the team announced a season ticket sell out for the 2024 season,

1295-667: Was broken on a training facility for the Aces in Henderson next to the Raiders facility. The 50,000 square foot facility, the first complex built solely for the use of a WNBA team houses the Aces’ practice facility, offices, training room, weight room, hydrotherapy space, physical therapy area, locker rooms, a lecture hall, player and alumni lounges, and an on-site day care center and was completed in April 2023. In May 2021, Davis hired former LSU Lady Tigers basketball head coach Nikki Fargas as team president. On December 31, 2021, Becky Hammon

1332-469: Was hired as head coach in a deal that made her the highest paid coach in the WNBA. During the 2022 season, the Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury in round 1 and the Seattle Storm in the semifinals before defeating the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals in 4 games to win the franchise's first championship and the first professional sports championship for Las Vegas. On March 23, 2023, it

1369-485: Was the WNBA 's second Commissioner's Cup in league history. The Cup Final featured the top Eastern Conference Cup team facing off against the top Western Conference team. The home team was decided by the team with the highest winning percentage in Cup Play. The Commissioner's Cup starts by designating a portion of regular-season games – 10 games per team – as counting toward Cup play. The team from each conference with

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