Las Vegas Opens WNBA Season as Team to Beat

Las Vegas begins the new WNBA season where champions usually do: in everyone else’s way.

Preseason projections point in the same direction, with the Aces opening as the team most likely to win the title again and A'ja Wilson emerging as the central figure in the MVP race. That framing says as much about Las Vegas’ standard as it does about the rest of the league. The Aces no longer chase relevance or respect; they force every contender to measure itself against a roster and a star that have become the sport’s clearest benchmark.

The season’s first storyline is simple: the road to the title still runs through Las Vegas and through A'ja Wilson.

That does not mean the outcome feels settled. Predictions invite pushback, especially in a league where health, chemistry and timing can reshape the standings quickly. Reports indicate several teams enter the year with realistic hopes of disrupting the Aces’ path, and the pressure of defending a title often sharpens rivals as much as it burdens favorites. If Las Vegas sits at the top, it also carries the league’s biggest target.

The MVP conversation follows the same logic. Wilson enters the season as the player everyone must catch, not just because of past production but because she anchors the league’s most closely watched contender. Awards races often turn on narrative as much as numbers, and Wilson starts with both: elite play, team success and a season-long spotlight that will track every statement win and every stumble. Any challenger will need more than a strong year; they will need to shift the story.

That makes the opening months especially important. Early results will reveal whether the Aces still control the league’s center of gravity or whether a rival can turn broad intrigue into a real threat. For fans, that tension gives the season its shape: a dominant team, a marquee star and a field trying to prove the race remains wider than the forecasts suggest.