WNBA’s Stars to Las Vegas

Las Vegas is getting a WNBA franchise. The San Antonio Stars are moving to the Nevada city after being bought by MGM Resorts International, the league said Tuesday. The team will join the NHL as a second professional team in Las Vegas — with the NFL soon to follow. The Stars begin play next season with home games at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Bill Laimbeer will be the team’s president of basketball operations and coach. The move has been in the works since the Stars ownership group told the league they were interested in selling the team. WNBA President Lisa Borders said she approached MGM about purchasing the team. MGM will not be the first company with casino holdings to own a WNBA team. The Mohegan Sun owns the team in Connecticut. This will be the first professional basketball team in Las Vegas, which has become a coveted target for sports franchises over the past few years. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights began their first NHL season this month. In March, the NFL formally approved the Oakland Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas by the 2020 season to occupy a proposed new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip, although the deal wasn’t approved until casino mogul Sheldon Adelson pulled out of the financing plan. The Golden Knights play at MGM’s T-Mobile Arena, but the casino doesn’t own the team. This is the second move for the fran- chise. It came to San Antonio from Utah in 2003.