On July 22, 2020, the Las Vegas Aces announced that the team waived guard Alex Bentley. Rachel Galligan first reported the news on Twitter.
Breaking: League sources have confirmed that Alex Bentley has been waived by the Las Vegas Aces.#Winsidr #WNBA
— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) July 22, 2020
The Aces signed Bentley to a contract on June 16 to fill in for Kelsey Plum, who will be missing the 2020 WNBA Season. Las Vegas has been dealing with so much in the previous few weeks with the news of Liz Cambage opting out for this season due to health concerns.
Bentley, 29, last played for the Atlanta Dream last season, averaging 9.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 3.0 APG. She also posted her career-worst field goal percentage with 30.7%.
Alex Bentley’s New Beginning in the WNBA
Alex Bentley was initially selected 13th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2013 WNBA Draft. In her rookie season, she managed to set a WNBA record with ten consecutive three-pointers made from June 14-28. By the end of the season, Bentley became a member of the WNBA All-rookie team, averaging 8.3 PPG and 2.8 APG. The Atlanta Dream managed to qualify for the playoffs with a .500 record, 2nd in Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Bentley averaged 5.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG in the postseason.
Bentley Rises Up In Connecticut
In the 2013-14 offseason, Bentley got traded to the Connecticut Sun in a three-team trade. In the next three seasons, she ultimately became a star in Connecticut; averaging in double digits: 12.2 PPG in 2014, career-high 14.7 PPG in 2015, and 12.9 PPG in 2016. Bentley became a WNBA all-star in 2015 for the first time in her career, playing for the Eastern Conference. Later on, she posted a career-high 31 points vs. the Mystics. In that season, she also suffered an ankle injury and was out for the remainder of the season.
2016 season was one of the best for Bentley, as she led the Sun in scoring and finished second in assists (2.5 APG). In the following season, she participated in the FIBA Eurobasket Women’s Tournament for Belarus. Meanwhile, in 2017 season, Bentley moderated 8.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.9 APG as the Sun qualified for the playoffs with a 21-13 record; falling to Phoenix in the second-round single-elimination game.
Bentley’s 2018 Transition From Connecticut back to Atlanta
At the beginning of the 2018 season, Alex Bentley was on the Connecticut Sun, averaging 10.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 3.2 APG. All of a sudden, she was involved in an altercation with a then-Sun teammate Courtney Williams and got traded to the Atlanta Dream the following day.
It was Bentley’s second stint with the Dream; as she became a boost on the team bench, familiar with her three-point shooting. Dream Head Coach Nikki Collen, who won the 2018 COTY award, was familiar with her playmaking from her days as an assistant coach for the Connecticut Sun. In a game at Phoenix on August 17, 2018, she set a career-high in three-point field goals made with six. The Atlanta Dream finished the season with a spot in the semifinals and a 23-11 record. They also qualified for the playoffs.
In the postseason, Bentley averaged a career-high 15.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG as the Dream fall to the Washington Mystics in five games. Overall in the 2018 season, Bentley averaged 9.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and a career-high 3.3 APG, playing for two different teams.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @ayaabdeen__ for more content. Follow my Diana Taurasi fan page on Instagram @dtaurasi3_fp. And check out more WNBA articles by the Beyond Women’s Sports team.
