Light it up: Aces taking center stage before Raiders-Vikings

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 months ago

The Las Vegas Aces dance on stage with 2Chainz performance during a celebration of their WNBA b ... — The Las Vegas Aces dance on stage with 2Chainz performance during a celebration of their WNBA basketball championship win over the New York Liberty at Toshiba Plaza on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, left, and guard Kierstan Bell dance on stage with 2Chainz performance during a celebration of their WNBA basketball championship win over the New York Liberty at Toshiba Plaza on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, center right, is called up to speak during a celebration of her team’s WNBA basketball championship win over the New York Liberty at Toshiba Plaza on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

The Aces have torched the competition over the past two seasons. Sunday, the two-time WNBA champs are lighting the fire (in LED form) at Allegiant Stadium.

The Aces will light the Al Davis Memorial Torch prior to the Raiders-Vikings game. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m., so get there an hour or so early to catch the pre-game hype.

Mark Davis owns both franchises. And also the torch.

With 20 percent of its home games scheduled in the next eight days, the Raiders are accelerating their in-game halftime plans for the rest of the season.

Sunday, Phillpa Soo, who originated the role of Eliza Hamilton in “Hamilton” on Broadway, sings the national anthem. The Julliard-trained singer has won two Grammy Awards and been nominated for a Tony Award and Primetime Emmy Award.

The team is welcoming back Rachel Platten, singing “Stand By You” at halftime with David Perrico and the Raiders House Band. Platten sang “Fight Song” in pregame of the Raiders-Texans game, as part of the NFL’s initiative to fight cancer.

And the team is honoring pass-rush specialist Maxx Crosby as its nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, The honor is bestowed annually to an NFL player for excellence on the field and his impact within the community.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.