SLAMONLINE.COM 45recalls. “I’m a person of routine, and I like to know what I’m
doing. I like to have everything planned out. I didn’t know if I was
going to be in America one week, or if I was going to be home in
Australia one week.”
Cambage went to bed after having a going-away dinner on
May 16, still not knowing when (or if) she would be traded. She
woke up at 6 a.m. to find out a deal with the Aces had been
finalized. Relieved, she packed up her belongings and flew
across the globe to join her new teammates just hours before
their first preseason game. Cambage admits that she’s still
working her way into top basketball shape and still has plenty of
plays to learn, but she’s happy in Vegas. Everything she wanted
from a team and franchise earlier in her career, she has now
in the Aces.
“From the top to the bottom—from the way that the office is
run to the way we’re looked after, to the way we play—it’s the
top. It’s the pinnacle,” Cambage says. “It’s where I wish the rest
of the WNBA could be as well.”
It’s impossible to ignore the hype surrounding the team thisseason. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and
Chris Paul have sat courtside at the Mandalay Bay Events
Center. Aces players are on posters and marquees all around
the city. And with All-Star Weekend heading to Vegas for the
first time this summer, the Aces are preparing to host the event
the only way they know how: by doubling down.
The Aces are still coming together on the court, which is
scary considering that Vegas was second in the league in net
rating as SLAM went to press. With the most dominant
frontcourt duo in the league, the Aces could soon be racking up
Ws just like many predicted. Could a championship be in the
cards this season? Cambage doesn’t see anyone stopping the
Aces once they hit their stride.
“They’re going to try to shut us down and double-team us,
but we’re just too strong. Look at our guards. Inside-outside
presence,” she says. “Once we start getting it together—like
when I start knowing the plays—and really just snapping into it
quickly and being able to run it straight away on the court, I
DAVID BECKER/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES think we’re going to be unstoppable.” S