Above: Nikki Fargas speaks at The White House. Photo by Stephen Gosling NBA Photos.

The Las Vegas Aces Hit the Jackpot

President Nikki Fargas Reveals Their Winning Hands

By Sheryl Aronson

A new era for women’s basketball slam-dunked the sport’s world with the WNBA draft on April 15, breaking the record for viewership—averaging 2.4 million viewers and moving up to 3 million people—for this event. After almost 30 years, the WNBA continues to break barriers of being pigeonholed as “not being as exciting as their male counterparts in the NBA” by igniting fans’ enthusiasm and love for women’s basketball.

One team has truly been dealing the “lady luck” cards of winning—the Las Vegas Aces—two-time world champions of the WNBA title under the coaching of Becky Hammon and the hard-working organizational building of Nikki Fargas, president of the Aces. The Aces won the WNBA Championship in 2022 and repeated in 2023. No WNBA team has had repeated wins in more than two decades.

Under Fargas’ leadership, the team boasted back-to-back championships, led the WNBA in attendance in 2023, sold out its regular season home schedule in 2024 and procured a state-of-the-art practice facility/team headquarters built for the sole use of a WNBA team.

At the helm of the organization stands Fargas, whose prolific professional resume includes playing for the University of Tennessee (1990-1994 under coach Pat Summitt), assistant coaching at the University of Tennessee (1998-1999 and 2002-2008) and head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (2008-2011) and Louisiana State University (2011-2021). Fargas also has a broadcasting background as a color analyst.

Our interview reveals her vast experience and deep commitment to women’s basketball. Fargas leads with compassion, intelligence and deep resolve and brings everyone in her organization along for a full-court press into the future.

Chic Compass: I’ve been a female athlete my entire life and played basketball before Title IX existed. My experience growing up in New York was playing pickup basketball with the guys. So, I’ve been especially engaged in watching women’s basketball from the beginning of the WNBA. Nikki, you’ve had an extensive career in basketball. What was your personal experience as a young girl?

Nikki Fargas: I grew up in an athletic family. My mom and grandmother played basketball when it was half-court. I’ve seen the game evolve into what it is today. Growing up in a close-knit family in the small town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, I rode my bike to Linden Elementary School to play with the boys, even though I knew being picked was slim because I was a girl. This experience motivated me to prove myself. Eventually, I became a regular when they chose the first 10. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a game; it was more like, ‘Who’s gonna pick the girl?’

Many female athletes grew up having to earn the respect of males. Playing against the boys taught us to be more fundamentally skilled because they would be more athletic. I also lived in an environment of sports. We had a great system, whether through the Boys & Girls Club, playing on the elementary and junior high teams or making it to the high school team. There was always a place for me in sports.

I understand that we’ve come a long way. We were discriminated against because we were girls, but give us our due respect. Many of us have sacrificed and put in the work just as much as our male counterparts, but the people in leadership roles must even the playing field. Provide resources for these girls and women and allow them to show the world what they can do. We can be just as entertaining. Many people say, ‘Women’s basketball is exciting and fast-paced. We love watching the women play.’

Chic Compass: Let’s talk more about your career. You played college ball for the University of Tennessee, coached by the well-known Pat Summitt. In one interview, you mentioned that it wasn’t just about the game, but the discipline learned on the court. Coach Summitt taught every female that it was about education and succeeding in life.

Nikki Fargas: I have unbelievable role models, and it starts with my mom. She trusted Coach Summitt with me when I decided to attend the University of Tennessee. When I was in Tennessee, the on-the-court discipline was a given. Coach Summitt showed us that women could lead and be successful. Women can be head coaches, athletic directors, medical directors, academic managers or public relations directors. When I was at the university, all I saw were successful women leading the way, including Joan Cronan (athletic director), Jenny Moshak (medical director and one of the best trainers that I’ve ever known) and Debby Jennings (sports information director).

You mentioned education—we had an upfront no-miss policy in every class we attended. We had to sit in the first three rows; if we missed a class, we missed a game. If we made a mistake and did miss a class, there was a system in place. You would immediately call your academic advisor and tell her you overslept and took full responsibility for the tardiness. Then, you would speak to the professor after class to find out what you missed and apologize. Those were life lessons she taught us. I played for her in the 90s. The other life lesson I learned was that she wasn’t just the coach. She was a mother, wife and daughter. I got to see her outside of being a coach. Her faith and family were top priorities for her. She could juggle it all, which allowed me to dream that later on —if I was going to make this sacrifice—not to worry about what other people think. You can be effective as a mom and a wife in this sports environment. Sometimes, this concept isn’t promoted or supported when you’re in the workplace. I’ve seen some women coaches miss an opportunity to become mothers because they were on this path and did not receive such support.

Chic Compass: You bring this philosophy and much more into your job and your organization. You coached for many years for UCLA and LSU and had a career in broadcasting. From those experiences, how did that prepare you for this fabulous job as president of the Aces?

Nikki Fargas: It’s about the people. You win with people, and that little round basketball allowed me to travel the world, provide new experiences and provide for my family. I got here when Mark Davis purchased the franchise. I came on board in May 2021. He wanted to be a champion for women. We need allies; we need our male counterparts saying, ‘Yes, I’m here to support anyway I can.’ He supported us hugely by purchasing the Aces, but more importantly, he invested in us by providing a home. Our headquarters is the home to the greatest basketball players to ever play this game, like Candace Parker, A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray—we have Olympians and All-Stars. The front office in the building gives us a unique environment in which our ticketing, sales and marketing team can see Coach Hammon and the players. Therefore, everybody knows we’re the team behind the team.

I’ve always supported every institution I’ve been a part of. With a public relations background in media relations, donors and corporate partners are very important. There was a lot of fundraising at LSU, and you’re dealing with name image. Being a part of the conversation and bringing revenue into the institution is no different from how we bring revenue into the franchise.

Being engaged with the community and that area is something we all did as former players and from coaching, too. I go out to promote the Aces. What better marketing tool than winning back-to-back championships? To be able to broadcast that in such a large and amplified way is a result of my communication background. I can pull all these experiences together and be who I am today, able to walk into any room, talk to others, explore, motivate and surprise people with my story and how I got here from the little town of Oak Ridge in Tennessee. All I want to do is give back and be of service to our ticketing team, marketing, partnerships and whatever we need to do for the basketball side.

Chic Compass: The Aces won two championships in a row. It had yet to be done in 20 years, plus having the highest attendance in all-female women’s basketball. I heard you say—and I loved it in this interview—that the Aces play selfless basketball. You have stars, even though you also had a lot of injuries last year that the team had to pull together. I watched that last game against the New York Liberty, and the Aces pulled it off to win by one point. Talk about your players.

Nikki Fargas: We’ve succeeded because of young ladies who sacrificed and worked hard. The hours, days and months they have put into their craft. A’ja is one of the finest young ladies I’ve ever met on and off the court. Her ability to motivate not only her teammates but also anyone who is in her presence makes us all want to be better. I’ve seen her grow into a woman of faith and a woman who understands that there are things bigger than herself. She’s trying to leave a legacy behind and open more doors for those young black and brown-faced girls who come after her. I call her a two-way player because she plays on both sides of the basketball. She’s one of the best-shot blockers in the game today, and I love her competitive spirit. Kelsey Plum is a different specimen. Her competitive spirit is very big, so I can’t say enough about what she brings to our team. We have the best point guard in Chelsea. She does the no-look passes like Magic. She’s here to entertain you. Kiah Stokes made the best comment about Chelsea. ‘I don’t know when the passes are coming, so I keep my hands up.’ Chelsea is more excited about giving you a pass to score than making a shot for herself. That is selfless. Then there’s Jackie Young. I call her the quiet assassinator. She’s a woman of very few words, but her game speaks volumes. Her ability to take over a game? I can see her being our MVP. For the first half of last year’s season, we had Candace, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players in the game.

However, everything starts with Coach Hammon. Her system allows all the players to get fed, succeed and share the basketball and glory. She and her staff have done a phenomenal job not only with the starters but making sure that the bench is ready to start as well, so when we were injured in Game 4 with the loss of Chelsea and Kiah, we had two players put in a starting position (Alysha Clark and Cayla George alongside A’ja). Their number to be called—and for them to answer the calling—created a great culture for the Aces. That moment taught me what Coach Hammon, her staff and the team could accomplish.

Chic Compass: Now, talk about Coach Hammon. She’s the first woman to be an assistant coach in the NBA, a former player in the WNBA for the Utah Starzz and San Antonio Stars and a winner of back-to-back titles with the Aces in 2022 and 2023.

Nikki Fargas: The team loves playing for her. A little side story: As a player, she went undrafted during the WNBA 1999 draft. This prolific scorer from Colorado State advanced her team to the Sweet 16 and the NCAA tournament. The Liberty allowed her to play with some of the best players in the game’s history: Teresa Weatherspoon, Vickie Johnson and Crystal Robinson. Knowing her journey and what she had to overcome to get to where she is today is remarkable. She was with the Stars for several years and played overseas. When she finished her career in 2014, Gregg Popovich invited her to go on his staff as an assistant with the Spurs. We were fortunate to position ourselves (and thank you, Mark Davis, for financially giving us the opportunity) to go after Coach Hammon and make her the highest-paid coach in the WNBA. This speaks to how deserving she is and what she represents. Her jersey was retired by the Stars and is hanging in our rafters. When we acquired the Stars from MGM, we wanted to make sure that she knew her legacy would still be a part of the history of the Aces. We have an alum initiative where we bring back alums who played for the Stars, Starzz or Aces and give them an all-expense paid trip. That was when we reconnected with her. At that point, Mark and I discussed who would succeed Bill Laimbeer, and we secured Coach Hammon and two world championships.

Chic Compass: You also have Natalie Williams, the general manager who played with the Starzz, and Jennifer Azzi, chief business development officer, in your front office. Hiring alums creates a family that shows respect and honor to these women.

Nikki Fargas: We become one big family. One of the things that drew me to Aces was Mark’s vision to have women in leadership roles, particularly those who have paved the way. I wholeheartedly believe it was through the alum initiative that I connected with Natalie.

Chic Compass: The WNBA draft watch had the largest audience since 2000. The numbers prove that women’s basketball has become very popular and respected worldwide.

Nikki Fargas: The anticipation had to do with the exposure the women players were receiving from the media and how stories were told before the draft, including stories about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark within the NCAA throughout the season. And there was a buildup and anticipation of whether these young women would enter the draft. Once they declared, everyone was eager to see which teams picked them. We all knew that Caitlin would be taken in as the No. 1 pick and going to Indiana, but we didn’t know where everybody else was going. All that excitement resulted in 2.4 million viewers; we peaked at over 3 million at one point.

When you call attention to those in decision-making positions and put these women on prime time to give them the coverage they deserve, they sell out arenas. Something is bound to change! The Aces sold out their regular season home schedule in 2024. I challenge you to ensure these women are part of the conversation just as their male counterparts are; we’ve seen what they can deliver.

Chic Compass: You had the draft pick of Kate Martin from Iowa. Please talk about how she fits into the team.

Nikki Fargas: When you look at her with Iowa, a six-foot utility player who is selfless and shows that she can defend players, her toughness and ability to use her physical play to go inside are admirable. She’s such a great compliment to our draft class.

Chic Compass: The new team headquarters and training facility that the Aces train in is phenomenal.

Nikki Fargas: We’re incredibly excited. I can’t thank Mark enough for the first-of-its-kind WNBA practice facility and team headquarters. This practice facility has all the resources our players need. When you enter the headquarters lobby, you’re greeted by two 16-foot LED barn doors where we can display broadcast television; we can do custom-made content or live video. Then those doors open to two full-size basketball courts. There are player-specific areas, such as the team locker room, film room, player’s lounge and weight room. What’s neat is that each locker is equipped with a TV and built-in Mac mini-PC so players can check emails or download videos. The players love music, so we also have an overhead sound system with a Bluetooth connection. The training room has hot and cold plunge pools, a hydro treadmill and an infrared sauna. We offer cryotherapy, a nutrition bar and training technology. When our team is not practicing, we can utilize our facility to host community events. The practice facility has up to 400 retractable seats.

Chic Compass: Let’s discuss Nike’s new uniforms for the Aces.

Nikki Fargas: We have three different uniforms – one type is black, one red—just launched—and called The Rebel to pay tribute to the Aces’ legacy by keeping it red. But we’ve transitioned to the silver and black. The silver and black – if you pay attention historically to the Aces, those were our primary colors as well. We’re excited to have the uniforms represent the team. We also signed a major partnership with Ally Financial, our marquee jersey patch partner. We maintain our values to have Ally as part of the Aces family, a like-minded brand that aligns significantly with our culture. Andrea Brimmer and her team are making strategic decisions. They’re here to support and grow women’s sports. We feel this partnership is one of many because we see those entities step up and say, ‘We want to ensure that we’re equally in this fight with you.’ They committed to a 50/50 campaign, pledging equal spending on advertising between men’s and women’s sports within five years. Being part of that story is huge because the Aces are part of hitting their paid media spending across men’s and women’s sports.

Chic Compass: That news is amazing and exciting. To end our interview, let’s discuss the future of the WNBA. Going back to Title IX in 1972, which opened the door for women athletes, to the creation of the WNBA in 1994, to the millions of fans following the game. What is the future?

Nikki Fargas: I see this game continuing to be exciting. Watching this unbelievable class of individuals entering the WNBA now thrills me. But it also starts at the grassroots level and guarantees that we continue to provide opportunities and places for the development of female athletes. I see colleges offering high-level resources so these young ladies can train, travel and compete at the same level as their male counterparts. Through college, women athletes become household names before they get to the pros. We’re gaining momentum. The WNBA is not a one-hit wonder. We must continue to build and ensure that those guardians of the game continue using their voices, resources, networking capabilities and decision-making opportunities to empower us. Let’s keep investing in women’s sports because this is the way of the future.

Congratulations to A’ja Wilson for winning Best Athlete in Women’s Sports and Best WNBA Player at the 2024 ESPY Awards.