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USATSI

Former WNBA All-Star Tiffany Hayes has come out of retirement to sign with the Las Vegas Aces, the team announced Friday. Terms of the contract were not revealed, but it is likely that the veteran guard signed for the remainder of this season. 

Hayes, a second-round pick back in 2012, announced her retirement in December. 

"This right here with the Connecticut Sun was my last season," Hayes said on the "Count Me Out" podcast. "It's a lot of things. I really feel like I'm older now. I got a lot of stuff that I really always want to get into but I'm so busy 'cause I'm playing year-round. Plus, my body, playing 11 seasons straight with no breaks, every year, two seasons in a year every time, that's a lot."

The opportunity to play for the Aces and compete for a title -- something still missing from her resume -- drew Hayes back to the league for at least one more season. 

"Joining the Aces will be very exciting for me," Hayes stated in a press release. "I'm just grateful that they are willing to work with me as I am diving head first into a new era in my life. It will be nice to experience the west coast and this organization as I join them on the road to another winning season. I have no doubts that there is something special brewing, and I'm just another great ingredient being added to the mix. Let's go Aces!"

Earlier this month, the Aces waived second-round pick Dyaisha Fair, the third-leading scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball history, to open up a roster spot. Everyone expected a subsequent move was in the works for the top-heavy Aces, who are also without Chelsea Gray indefinitely, but no one had Hayes on their radar. 

Even at this stage of her career, Hayes is a massive addition for the Aces. She averaged 12 points, three rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Sun last season while shooting 36.6% from downtown. Hayes can run the second unit with her ability to create her own shot, and also play off the ball with the starters. Last season she made 44.6% of her unguarded attempts from behind the arc. Furthermore, she's a fiesty defender who will give them a boost on the perimeter, which is one of their few weak spots. 

"We're really excited about her," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said Friday prior to the team's game versus the Atlanta Dream. "Being that we don't know the exact date for Chelsea, we felt like we needed to add another guard that had some experience. I know she had announced her retirement, but I thought she was very specific about the WNBA. You know me, we're gonna shoot our shot. So we called even though she said she was retiring and had a great conversation with her. 

"She's somebody who's actually given us buckets in the past, so I know she's a super tough guard. Plays both ends of the floor. So that depth for us is just huge. We're excited to get her out there and running with our group. I think she'll fit in great. An attempt to lengthen our bench a little bit and we're super happy that she said yes and took our phone call."