Las Vegas Aces drop new uniforms for the 2024 season

Amid the pre-March Madness chatter in women’s basketball emerged a shimmer of what’s to come for the WNBA — a shiny, glittery new uniform for the back-to-back champions. After announcing their preseason game will be in the heart of Gamecock Territory and an additional sponsorship deal, the Las Vegas Aces dropped their new 2024 duds — a black, silver, and white colorway.

It may seem as though the equivalent of the Pixies coming in and stealing all of the flare and flavor from what many have become accustomed to (the red, they miss the red). Take a quick peek at the general reaction from the melting pot of opinions that is Twitter/X and you would think the uniforms are the worst thing since Sky Guy. 

It's a Raiders nod ... It’s too bland and takes away from the vibrancy of the red, black, and gold. It's a Beyonce Renaissance connection… 

But what if the reasoning behind the change has more history to it?

This could be a way to pay homage to the Silver Stars

Before they were the back-to-back winning, M’VP player-holding, future-hall-of-famer toting Las Vegas Aces … they were the San Antonio (Silver) Stars. The Stars weren’t the red, black, and gold sporting kids back in their day, but a more subtle silver and black which mirrored their NBA counterparts, the Spurs. 

Making their first appearance in 2003 and playing through 2017, the Silver Stars were notable for players such as Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Sophia Young, and alumna-turned-head coach Becky Hammon in the ranks. They had multiple WNBA playoff appearances and toted a No. 1 record in the 2008 playoffs, making their way to their first Finals appearance before falling to the Detroit Shock.

The years changed but the main thing remained the same: the colorway. The uniforms always toted silver with black or black with silver (with that satin finish that was always popular in the 2000s), littered with stars and a similar font to the Spurs. It was simple, but it was notable because of its simplicity. Plus, the vintage stuff is still in the rotation, and a glance on eBay shows some of it is not cheap. 

So it’s safe to say the jersey may just have to grow on fans first.

What about the Aces third jersey?

Now that you have the history lesson, you may wonder where the third colorway was in the reveal. WNBA uniforms always follow the Heroine, Explorer, and Rebel Edition. We were privy to two of the three variants.   

But, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you have to wait and see if there’s more to the content you’re seeing. Of course, there was one more jersey fans didn’t see in its entirety … and it had the vibrant championship red that fans were longing for. But we only saw a sneak peek.

Fret not, fans, they’re not letting the red go away that easily. But how will it compare to the jerseys we’ve seen thus far? Only time will tell, and based on the fan reactions, it needs to happen much sooner.

All in all, the new threads aren’t what fans are used to, but it has some meaning if you choose to read deeper into them. The vibes of the Red, Black, and Gold always gave me the essence of the gamble, the energy felt when you enter a casino, with the vigor that comes with the red, the riches of gold, and the sleekness of the black. A gamble was taken when the team made the trek to Vegas, and they won. 

The new colorway gives the same sleekness, but this time, instead of being the gamblers, the Aces are on the other side of the table. They’re now the dealers of whatever opposing team's fate when they come to town to take that gamble. Based on the results of the past two seasons, it would be best to tread lightly, no matter what threads they choose to suit up in.

Or to take heed as the caption stated: "All Bets Are Off."