The Las Vegas Aces are “all in” defending their 2025 title! Their first preseason matchup of the 2026 season against the Japan Women’s National Basketball Team gave the Aces an early test as they fine-tune their roster and build momentum heading into another highly anticipated championship run.
Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas was filled with excited fans ready to get the season going. This game marks the third time the Aces faced international competition for a preseason matchup. They hosted the Puerto Rico National Team in 2024 and the China National Team in 2018 and in 2022, when China was hosted by the Utah Starzz.
Next up – the Aces will travel to Texas to play their second and final preseason game against Dallas on Sunday, May 3. The regular season kicks off Saturday, May 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against the Phoenix Mercury, their 2025 WNBA Finals foe.
Eight players from the 2025 championship roster are back and ready to defend their title – A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young, Dana Evans, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Kierstan Bell, and NaLyssa Smith.
During free agency, the Aces added two-time All-Defensive selection Brianna Turner, three-time Australian Olympian Stephanie Talbot, and 2020 All-Rookie Team member Chennedy Carter.
The team also had two draft picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft. The Aces selected Janiah Barker from Tennessee with the 29th overall pick and Jordan Orbi from Kentucky with the 44th overall pick.
As the 2026 season kicks off with the first preseason game for the Vegas team, they hosted an exciting matchup against the Japan National Team, who just came off a 2-3 record in the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament. They are set to be one of 16 teams to compete in the 2026 FIBA World Cup this summer in Berlin.
The Japan National Team is led by former WNBA head coach Corey Gaines. The 13-player roster features 12 athletes who have competed in FIBA competitions. Japan was also recently selected to host the 2030 FIBA World cup, set to take place in Tokyo.
PRESZN DUB ✅Presented by @RAHLawFirm // #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/UotI5GAMQL
The first game of the 2026 season for the Aces ended with a win, 94-78.
Star player Wilson didn’t play in Sunday night’s game, listed as out for “right arm.” When coach Becky Hammon was asked when she expects Wilson back on the court, she said she doesn’t know.
“I’ll check in with her, her thing is if we were playing in a playoff series, she would be playing,” Hammon said during the postgame press conference.
In addition to Wilson being out for the preseason game, so was Dana Evans for her “lower left leg.”
When a question was asked about the next preseason game, Hammon said, “We’re gonna use it as a way to get better. We’ll probably be a little bit more into a realistic lineup because we’re gonna have game right around the corner after that. But right now we’re still just moving pieces, figuring out pieces, what combinations work best so I’m very open minded with all of them.”
"Sometimes you have to be reminded of 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆"𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑶𝑳𝑫: The 2025 Las Vegas AcesPremieres May 5th at the International Theater at @westgatevegas🎥🍿 https://t.co/CAUIQ2yJCT pic.twitter.com/7rFGrpFGPq
Just ahead of the first game of the Aces’ regular season is the screening of their fourth documentary, “Never Fold: The 2025 Las Vegas Aces” on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The documentary takes fans back to the 2025 season to see a different POV from what they likely saw, giving more insight into the incredible season the team had.
After the screening, the Aces will host a panel featuring head coach Becky Hammon, President and GM Nikki Fargas, and Vice President of Creative Storytelling Katie Morgan.
“I am so proud of the work the Aces Productions team has done on this documentary. ‘Never Fold’ gives fans a personal look into the ups and downs of the 2025 season,” Morgan said, according to a press release sent to The Blast. “Fans always get to see what happens on the court, but to give them the opportunity to witness what happens behind the scenes is something special. This is the fourth documentary, but the first official screening event and we wanted to make sure the fans can be part of it.”
Fans can purchase tickets to the screening which includes a limited edition “Never Fold” movie poster. The screening will be head at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐒𝐙𝐍 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐄 ♠️♦️ pic.twitter.com/BS6gidxNcF