Nola Henry has traded the Miami heat for the Las Vegas desert, joining the Aces as an assistant coach after two seasons as head coach of Rose BC in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league. Henry, 31, was officially announced late Wednesday night and has already been in Las Vegas for over a week, though she is still searching for the perfect “blazoodie” — a nod to head coach Becky Hammon’s signature blazer-hoodie combo.

Henry arrives with a strong connection to Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who led Rose BC to the Unrivaled championship in 2025 and won the 1-on-1 crown this past season. “I anticipate it will be more of the same; just two people that love basketball, love winning, love talking about basketball,” Henry said of working with Gray again. Before Unrivaled, Henry served as an assistant coach for the Dallas Wings in 2025 and held roles with the Los Angeles Sparks (player development coach, then assistant in 2024) and Connecticut Sun (intern in 2020, assistant basketball operations manager until 2022).

Henry credited Hammon’s attention to detail for drawing her to Las Vegas. “I was interviewing with multiple teams and Vegas was just so diligent in the process,” she said. “It was extremely thorough, which I respected a lot.” The opportunity arose after Henry learned she would not return to Dallas. Hammon and Aces president Nikki Fargas met with Henry informally in Miami while watching Gray and Jackie Young in Unrivaled, leading to a formal interview process.

Henry emphasized the importance of earning her way up the coaching ladder. “There’s no skipping steps. I started as an intern in Connecticut, so it was a very humble beginning,” she said. “My work ethic will show for itself.” She described her role with the Aces as fluid: “I’ll have a hand in a variety of different things, whether that’s on the court with players, scouting, all of the things. There’s no task too big, no task too small.”