Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (April 22 - 28)

Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (April 22 - 28)

NXT BattleGround is coming to Las Vegas, the Golden Knights suffer their first loss in the playoff and the Las Vegas Raiders make a surprise pick in the draft. All this and more last week in Las Vegas sports (April 22 - 28). #6 Candace Parker announces retirement weeks before Las Vegas Aces season [caption id="attachment_50694" align="alignnone" > Source. Las Vegas Aces[/caption]

The WNBA season is about to start, yet Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker is retiring from the league. She took to social media last week to explain her decision and remind the fans that she promised to compete only if she were 100% healthy. This comes after the two-time WNBA champion underwent foot surgery for an injury she suffered earlier in the year.

"I promised I'd never cheat the game & that I'd leave it in a better place than I came into it," Parker posted to Instagram. "The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it's time. My HART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it. "It's no fun playing in pain (10 surgeries in my career) it's no fun knowing what you could do, if only...it's no fun hearing 'she isn't the same' when I know why, it's no fun accepting the fact you need surgery AGAIN." #5 NXT BattleGround set to take place  at UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas [caption id="attachment_50686" align="alignnone" > Source. WWE[/caption]

WWE announced that NXT Battleground 2024 will take place at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.  The announcement marks the first time WWE has used the facility and could pave the way for more in the future. The WWE and UFC merged into TKO last year and are now starting to utilize each other's facilities for events.

"We are always exploring new frontiers to showcase NXT, and we are excited to bring Battleground to this world-class event and production facility in partnership with UFC," WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Shawn Michaels, said in a statement.

Rumors are also growing that Wrestlemania 41 could be happening in Las Vegas. The news comes after speculation that Minneapolis, Minnesota, would get hosting honors, but that has changed.

According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter: "Regarding rumors of WrestleMania for 5/3 and 5/4 in Las Vegas, from what we are told, it’s not locked in, but it is being talked about as a possibility. It’s working out the deal with the city which is what has delayed the announcement. Minneapolis submitted a bid as well.” #4 Las Vegas Golden Knights lose game three to the Dallas Stars [caption id="attachment_50687" align="alignnone" > Source. Dallas Stars[/caption]

The Las Vegas Golden Knights lost 3-2 to the Dallas Stars on Saturday after winning the first two games. Last Week, They started the series with a 4-3 win over their divisional rival. They followed that up with a 3-1 win against the Stars on Wednesday, giving them a 2-0 lead.

Fast-forward to Saturday and the Golden Knights got in trouble early against the Stars. It all started when the Stars scored a goal in the opening period. The Golden Knights followed that up with a two-goal rally in the second quarter that gave them a chance to take a 3-0 series lead.

Unfortunately, the game went into overtime, and the Stars capitalized on a game-winning goal from there.  Brayden McNabb and Jack Eichel scored goals for the Golden Knights, which helped keep them in the running. They now move on to a Monday night game with a 2-1 series lead. #3 A’ja Wilson makes a surprising comment about Caitlyn Clark [caption id="attachment_50688" align="alignnone" > Source. WNBA[/caption]

Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson and Caitlyn Clark are very similar. They both went first overall in the WNBA draft, had stellar college careers, and were pegged as future champions. One could even go as far as to say that Caitlyn Clark is the next Wilson after getting selected by the Indiana Fever.  While you might think Wilson would feel threatened, she has repeatedly responded kindly in interviews about Clark. This trend continued in a speech at the Time 100 Summit, where she urged fans to keep rallying around the young player.

 "I hope that anyone who's invested and paying attention to it continues to invest in it," the Las Vegas Aces megastar said regarding Caitlyn Clark's popularity. "Buy that jersey. Go to that game. Take someone else. Put your money where your mouth is and invest in these women.”

More: 5 things you only see in Las Vegas sports #2 Las Vegas Raiders select Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick [caption id="attachment_50689" align="alignnone" > Source. Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]

The Las Vegas Raiders surprised everyone by drafting tight end Brock Bowers on Thursday night. This move comes after months of speculation they would trade up for a quarterback or a defensive piece. Instead, Bowers joins one of the best tight-end rosters in the entire league. Las Vegas already drafted Michael Mayer last year but didn't use him much. The Raiders recently signed Harrison Bryant to a deal.  #1 Recapping the Las Vegas Raiders 2024 NFL draft selections [caption id="attachment_50690" align="alignnone" > Source.Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]

After round one, the Raiders then selected Jackson Powers Johnson with the 44th pick. He is a guard/center who could help offer Las Vegas some protection. Their next pick was offense tackle Delmar Glaze, who got selected 77th overall in the third round. 

Other notable picks include Decamerieon Richardson,  Tommy Eichenburg, Dylan Laube, and Trey Taylor. The last pick was M.J. Devonshire. It isn’t easy to rate a draft class like this for several reasons. First, the team failed to move up in the draft and select a quarterback. This likely means they are confident in Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell. The team did make some moves to improve their defense, but it’s going to be a long transition period before this comes to fruition.