Ta’Niya Latson Lands Quickly with the Aces After Sparks Exit
Ta’Niya Latson wasted no time finding a fresh landing spot in the WNBA.
The guard inked a development player contract with the Las Vegas Aces, per the team’s announcement late Wednesday. The signing arrives just days after Los Angeles cut her loose on July 6.
Development contracts represent a brand-new roster mechanism in the WNBA this season, reserved for players carrying three years of league service or less. Under the deal, Latson can join every Aces training session, practice, and road trip, but her active-roster eligibility is capped at 12 games for the 2026 campaign — a structural limit that keeps her plugged into the team environment without guaranteeing consistent game action.
Her path to Las Vegas began in Los Angeles, where the Sparks selected her at No. 20 overall in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. Her rookie stint there was brief and thin on opportunity: 10 games played, 1.8 points per outing, and just five minutes of floor time on average. Her final appearance for the Sparks came June 27 against Indiana, while her most productive showing arrived earlier, on June 17 against Minnesota — six points, three boards, and two assists off the bench, a small window into the scoring instincts that made her a college standout.
Latson’s release wasn’t an isolated case. She becomes the second former Gamecock waived by Los Angeles before the season’s halfway mark, following Sania Feagin, who was cut in late June. Both players landed on their feet quickly — Feagin found a new home with the Portland Fire on a development deal within days, mirroring Latson’s own turnaround.
Her arrival in Las Vegas pushes South Carolina’s WNBA footprint to 13 active players league-wide, underscoring just how deep the program’s professional pipeline runs. Perhaps the most notable subplot of the move: Latson now shares a roster with four-time league MVP and fellow Gamecock great A’ja Wilson, giving her a direct line to one of the most decorated players — and most active mentors — in WNBA history. She’s joining a contender, too. Las Vegas sits at 15-6, just half a game back of first place in the Western Conference, meaning Latson’s second chance comes with a franchise built to win now rather than rebuild.
