WNBA forfeit

The WNBA ruled Tuesday that Las Vegas will get a loss for its game against Washington that was canceled when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel.

For the first time in WNBA history, a team has forfeited a game. The league ruled Tuesday that Las Vegas will get a loss for its game against Washington that was canceled when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel. The Aces needed more than a day to get to Washington from Las Vegas because of flight delays and cancellations Friday. By the time the team reached its hotel it was 3:45 p.m. — about four hours before the scheduled tip. The Aces players talked things over and spoke by phone with the union Friday. They called the league to say they did not want to play. The league said it “worked extensively” with both teams to find a “workable solution.” The WNBA added it delayed the start of the game until 8 p.m. to give the Aces as much time as possible after their arrival. “While not ideal, it was the best available solution to accommodate both our fans and the scheduling challenges,” WNBA President Lisa Borders said in a statement. “Since the Aces chose not to play, the result is a forfeit.” The Aces put out a statement right before the tip of their game Tuesday night in Atlanta. “Our entire organization has the utmost respect for the very difficult decision our players made, and we stand with them,” Las Vegas president of basketball operations and Coach Bill Laimbeer said.