Another loss for the Raiders, another accolade for Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces. Let’s break down what happened last week in Las Vegas sports (Dec 19 – 25).
#7 Kyle Busch talks about his future
There were a lot of what-ifs for Kyle Busch in 2022, including whether he would be forced to retire. Fortunately for the Las Vegas native, Richard Childress Racing signed him to a multi-year contract deal to keep him in the Cup Series. Richard Childress also found multiple sponsors to work with Busch, which was something he wasn’t getting at JGR.
Now, Busch insists he won’t be retiring anytime soon, although he did admit that the last few years haven’t been fun.
“It’s all rewarding and worth it when you’re able to win and be successful and have fun doing it,” Busch said when asked about his future in NASCAR. “I’d admit the last few years haven’t been fun. It could have been a point where you shut everything down and walk away, and it’s over. It would be a crying shame to do that in one’s prime feeling like I still have at least five or six years left in me as long as I stay healthy.”
#6 Three Las Vegas Raiders selected to play in the 2023 Pro Bowl Games
Three Las Vegas Raiders will be heading to the 2023 Pro Bowl games in February. Fans have selected Max Crosby, Joshua Jacobs, and Davantae Adams to compete in the week-long competition. This marks the first year that the NFL will not be playing a traditional game. Instead, players will play flag football so they can compete without risking injury
The week-long festivities will be held in town at Allegiant Stadium.
#5 Becky Hammon nominated for Basketball Hall of Fame
Becky Hammon has accomplished a lot in her short time with the Las Vegas Aces, but what about a Hall of Fame nod? The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of fame released its list of possible inductees for the upcycling year and Hammon is among them. This comes only months after she won Coach of the Year and a championship.
The Hall of fame currently has 401 inductees from around the basketball community. If Hammon does get inducted, she will join names like Patrick Ewing, Jim Calhoun, and David Robinson. The finalists for The HOF will be announced in February, while the official list of inductees won’t be announced until April.
Related: Greatest Las Vegas sports moments of 2022!
#4 Aaron Rodgers reveals why Davantae Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders
What brought Davantae Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders? That question took a lot of the spotlight over the offseason and is still not answered today. Some believe Adams wanted out due to a faltering relationship with Aaron Rodgers, while others believe he wanted more than what he was worth.
Rodgers chimed in on the matter during an interview with Serge Ibaka’s How Hungry Are You podcast, where he claimed that there was no bad blood. He instead stated that Adams was probably looking for a clean start and didn’t know how much longer Rodgers would be around with the Packers.
“A lot of it was his desire to have a new start,” Rodgers said during the interview. “There was an unknown with my future and how long I was going to be here. And I think he loved playing with me and maybe didn’t want to necessarily get locked into a long-term deal here if I wasn’t going to be in the long-term plans of the team.”
#3 Bruce Cassidy weighs in on why the Golden Knights aren’t winning at home
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are having a great season, but continue to lose at home. In fact, the Knights are 9-9 at T-Mobile arena and 14-2-1 in away games. Bruce Cassidy gave his take on the issue during an interview with VGK Today. He seems to think that the Golden Knights aren’t taking advantage of their opportunities on home ice.
“You gotta take what’s there, ” Cassidy said during the interview. “We were willing to do that, but not early on. And at home, that’s been our problem. It’s what we do well on the road to home teams: we check well, get pucks back and take advantage of our opportunities. So that’s the mindset that I’ve got to get across to these guys at home.”
#2 Las Vegas Raiders fall to Pittsburgh Steelers in a critical matchup
The Raiders are out of the playoffs after their 13-10 loss to the Steelers and there’s enough blame to go around. While Las Vegas does deserve credit for a touchdown from Derek Carr to Darren Waller, the rest of the game was a disaster for the Raiders.
Carr screwed up multiple chances to score and was picked off three times by the Steelers. He ended the evening going 16-30 for 174 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The final nail in the coffin was the defense, which kept the Steelers from scoring for three quarters. This changed in the final minutes when The Raiders allowed their first score of the game. If the defense could have just prevented that drive, their playoff hopes would still be alive.
#1 Joshua Jacobs vents frustration after Raiders’ loss
Joshua Jacobs couldn’t get going during the matchup against the Steelers, essentially eliminating the ground game for the Raiders. Jacobs ran for 44 yards and 2.9 yards a carry in 13 attempts on Saturday. He wasn’t much better in the air, where he caught one ball for six yards. This is the first time in a while that Carr has been contained like this. It will be interesting to see how he does in the final two games and in the offseason.
“I’m tired of dealing with this,” Jacobs said after the loss. “I come here and bust my ass and I see the guys busting their ass and the result is not there… For me, for the last four years, the result has not been there. And quite frankly, I don’t know what else to do.”
So, what do you think about last week in Las Vegas sports (Dec 19 – 25)?
Next: Ranking every Las Vegas sports team from worst to best.
