Aces Rookie Aaliyah Nye Carries Legacy of Native Tribe, Making History in the WNBA

Aaliyah Nye is one of the few Native-American women that have ever played at the highest level of American women's basketball. But, she hopes, there will be more to come behind her.

Aaliyah Nye is a Keeper of the Fire.

In the comfortable confines of a WNBA arena, the Las Vegas Aces rookie guard is liable to unleash it at any moment. A barrage of three pointers, one after the other, providing a spark off the bench that’s kept the two-time WNBA champs afloat in more than a few games this year.

But that designation doesn’t leave her when she exits the locker room to head home at the end of the night. Instead, she opens her door and can see a blanket that reminds her who she is and how, no matter what or where she goes, she will always be considered a Keeper.

“It’s been pretty cool just to be a representation,” she says in the tunnel of Michelob Ultra Arena before a game.