The Las Vegas Aces are asking fans to show up to Thursday's game with more than just their cheering voices — they want teddy bears, too. As part of their annual Cancer Awareness Game, the team will host its first-ever Teddy Bear Toss, inviting fans to hurl new stuffed animals onto the court at halftime, with every bear collected going to a Southern Nevada charity that treats children fighting cancer and rare diseases.
The Cancer Awareness Game tips off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Michelob ULTRA Arena, where the Aces host the Washington Mystics, according to FOX5 Vegas. Fans can bring an unlimited number of new teddy bears, packed in clear trash bags, and toss them onto the court when cued during the halftime break. The stuffed animals must be new, regular or small in size, and free of battery packs — giant teddy bears are not permitted. Fans who forget to bring their own can buy additional bears from the Aces Foundation in the arena lobby near the main entrance, though the outlet reports there will be no donation bins at the arena and all donations must be dropped off the day of the game.
Where the Bears Are Headed
Every stuffed animal collected at halftime will be donated to Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, which the station describes as Southern Nevada's only childhood cancer and rare disease treatment center, focused on helping children and families access quality healthcare to treat and fight those illnesses. The organization was founded in Las Vegas in 2007 by Annette Logan-Parker and now treats more than 7,000 unique patients annually, according to Nevada Business Magazine. The charity operates under a strict non-rejection policy through its Charity Care Program, meaning no child is turned away or denied treatment because a family can't afford it or lacks insurance, per the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
That local safety net matters because pediatric cancer care in Nevada is stretched thin. About 20% of Nevada children diagnosed with cancer must travel out of state for treatment, averaging more than 750 miles per round trip, due to a regional shortage of pediatric sub-specialists, according to the Nevada Cancer Coalition. Cure 4 The Kids expanded its capacity in June 2018 by becoming an independent division of Roseman University of Health Sciences, relocating its outpatient operations to Roseman's Summerlin campus, a partnership detailed by Las Vegas HEALS that also created a training venue for Roseman pharmacy, nursing, and medical students.
A Hockey Tradition Comes to Basketball
The Teddy Bear Toss itself traces back three decades to Canadian junior hockey. The tradition began on December 5, 1993, at a Western Hockey League game hosted by the Kamloops Blazers, when a goal by 17-year-old rookie Brad Lukowich prompted fans to throw more than 2,400 plush toys onto the ice, according to the Allen Americans Blog. The promotion has since ballooned across pro and minor league sports — the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears hold the global single-game record, having collected 102,343 stuffed animals during a January 2024 game, per Capitals Outsider.
Thursday's toss builds on the Aces' broader history of tying cancer outreach into theme nights. The team's Cancer Awareness initiatives have previously included a Shooting 4 a Cure campaign with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and mobile mammogram screenings with Nevada Health Centers at team headquarters, according to the Aces. Adding a pediatric-focused Teddy Bear Toss extends that footprint beyond breast cancer pledge drives into support for kids with cancer and rare diseases.
Playoff Stakes and a Milestone on the Line
The charitable event comes wrapped around a meaningful basketball game. Thursday's matchup against the Mystics opens a five-game home stand for the No. 3 seed Aces (22-11) as WNBA playoff positioning tightens down the stretch, with Las Vegas trailing the second-place Golden State Valkyries by 1.5 games with eight regular-season home games remaining, per the Aces.
There's also an individual milestone to watch. Aces guard Jackie Young enters the game needing just eight points to reach 4,000 career points, which would make her the 27th player in WNBA history to reach both 4,000 points and 1,000 assists — and the seventh-fastest to hit that combined mark, eclipsing Sheryl Swoopes, according to the team.
It remains to be seen just how many bears Las Vegas fans will send raining onto the Michelob ULTRA Arena court, or how quickly team staff can clear them for the second half — a logistical challenge that has long tested teams running similar hockey-arena tosses. For now, the Aces are simply hoping fans show up with bears in hand and help a local charity that, per its own stated mission, never turns a sick child away.
