In a new special series, I’ll be ranking each major professional sports franchise (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, etc.) in each of the states with at least two teams.
The teams will be ranked by the amount of success they’ve had in their current market, not accounting for previous locations of the franchise. However, if the team played in a different league but still played in its current home state, those records will contribute to the rankings.
Any playoff or tournament appearances, wild card berths, division titles, conference/league titles, major championships, and the franchise’s single-season wins/points records are accounted for, as well as the overall success of the team and certain eras of its history.
So up next is the state of Nevada, home of the NHL’s Golden Knights, NFL’s Raiders, and WNBA’s Aces.
No. 1 — Golden Knights (est. 2017)
- 4 playoff appearances
- 2 Pacific Division titles
- 2017-18 West title
- Franchise single-season points record – 109 in 2017-18
They are the oldest of the major professional sports franchises in Nevada, despite having played just five seasons.
The Golden Knights started fast right out of the gate during their inaugural 2017-18 season, winning the Pacific Division and reaching the playoffs while setting the NHL records for points (109) and wins (51) by an expansion franchise.
The Knights then took down the Kings, Sharks, and Jets in the playoffs to win the Western Conference title before falling to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Three more playoff berths and another division title followed in the next three years, as the team reached the playoff semifinal round twice before missing the playoffs for the first time in 2021-22.
No. 2 — Aces (est. 1997, relocated 2018)
- 3 playoff appearances
- 2020 WNBA Finals appearance
After a rough first season, the Aces have found their footing in Las Vegas, reaching the playoffs in three straight years.
During the 2020 season, the Aces compiled an 18-4 record – the best in the league – and reached the WNBA Finals before falling to Seattle.
Now in their fifth season in the desert and Becky Hammon leading the way as head coach, the Aces will look to win their first championship later this summer.
No. 3 – Raiders (est. 1960 (NFL 1970), relocated 2020)
- 2021 AFC Wild Card berth
While it’s difficult to be too harsh on the Raiders since they’ve only played two seasons in Sin City, they underperformed in 2020 before reaching the playoffs in 2021.
During that 2021 season, the Raiders finished with a 10-7 record to clinch a spot in the postseason before losing to the Bengals in the Wild Card playoffs.
