Silver Minings: Mark Davis buys Las Vegas Aces

It appears Mark Davis is enjoying his time in Las Vegas. Yesterday, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA announced that the Raiders owner would be buying the team. The purchase is currently pending approval by the WNBA’s Board of Governors.

Here’s what Davis said in a statement.

“I am excited to announce that I have entered into an agreement to purchase the Las Vegas franchise in the WNBA from MGM Resorts International. I will have more to say once I receive official approval from the WNBA Board of Governors and have had a chance to speak with the players, coaches and administrators of the team.”

George Kliavkoff, the President of Entertainment & Sports for MGM Resorts International, released this statement as well.

“We can confirm we have entered into an agreement to sell the Las Vegas Aces to Mark Davis and are awaiting approval from the WNBA Board of Governors. Mark is a longtime champion of women’s basketball and we believe he is the right person to lead the Aces into a new era. We will continue our enthusiastic support of the WNBA, NBA and basketball in Las Vegas.”

This isn’t just a purchase because of his wealth, Davis has become involved with the team since he moved to Las Vegas. Davis has been attending Aces games since 2017, when the team moved to the city.

In 2019, he and the Raiders purchased 1,600 Aces tickets to distribute to kids. Here’s what he said:

“The community benefits of professional sports are tremendous. In particular, the women who play for the Las Vegas Aces are great role models for the young women all over Southern Nevada. We are excited to bring hundreds of those young women to see for themselves what can be accomplished through hard work and determination.”

In other Raiders’ news:

• Raiders’ 2020 review: Analyzing every offseason addition.
• ICYMI: Jon Gruden thinks Gus Bradley will get the best out of Raiders’ young players.
• ICYMI: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah mocked to the Raiders: Beat writers analyze the fit.