Overview
- The Las Vegas Aces announced they signed Japan guard Mai Yamamoto to a rest-of-season deal after rookie forward Janiah Barker was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
- Yamamoto impressed the Aces in a preseason exhibition when she scored 24 points and made seven three-pointers against Las Vegas, a performance that drew direct scouting interest from coach Becky Hammon and front-office staff.
- She brings a strong international track record, including appearances in FIBA tournaments and a 17-point outing versus Team USA at the 2024 Olympics, but has only a brief prior WNBA stint with the Dallas Wings.
- The signing responds to a clear need for scoring beyond A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray after offseason additions produced little offensive output and a key bench scorer was released.
- Expect Yamamoto to come off the bench in limited minutes as the Aces test whether her overseas shooting can translate to consistent WNBA production and ease scoring pressure on the core trio.