President of Las Vegas Aces
League/Sport: Basketball
Team’s Inaugural Season: 1997
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Executive Hometown: Oak Ridge Tennesee
Executive Joined Team in: 2021
40 Full Time Employees Not Including Players
A former player, broadcaster and basketball coach, Nikki Fargas is the current president of the Las Vegas Aces. She is at the helm of the franchise which has won the Women’s National Basketball Championship twice in recent history.
What career did you envision for yourself when you were younger?
As I got older, I knew that sports was going to be my ticket to a better education. I remember playing at the Boys and Girls Club, it just taught me a different level of commitment and determination. I was driven.
How did you come to work with the Las Vegas Aces?
My name was brought up in conversation when Mark Davis was looking to hire someone for this position. Then next thing, I’m on a phone call with Mark Davis. Then Mark and Larry Delsen flew to Baton Rouge, LA and we had a great visit. It didn’t even feel like an interview. It felt as though this was family. I have enjoyed building this franchise into what it is. I’ve enjoyed being where we only had seven in the front office when I first got here. I’ve enjoyed seeing how we’ve created such an unbelievable organization in such a short period of time. I just was honored, but I also believed in Mark’s vision. He really was adamant about making sure we pay tribute to those who have paved the way. I believe in his vision of making sure that, when we were looking at our hiring practices, we were very intentional on putting women in leadership roles.
How does business operations for a team compare to coaching?
It’s a lot of similarities. I don’t care what occupation you’re in, whether you’re in athletics [or] in corporate America, you win with people. The culture that you are accustomed to as an athlete, as someone who’s also been able to coach at the highest level and win at the highest level, sitting here in this position, [there are] a lot of similarities. I’ve seen the proof, when you surround yourself with great people, it leads to us leading the league in attendance, which, obviously, leads to ticket sales. It’s teamwork, and what better way to learn teamwork than through sports?
What might someone be surprised to learn about you?
I ride motorcycles. I own a Harley. A lot of people don’t know that. I love the fact that it gives me a chance to do something that I enjoy, which is being out there in the open air. I had a foundation where we would ride across the country to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. We shipped our bikes to California and rode across the country for ten days on our motorcycles. It was just an unbelievable way to enjoy what you love, but also giving back to a great cause.
How has the reception been in Las Vegas?
It has been amazing. This community has rallied around this team, this franchise and sports. We are in the sports and entertainment capital of the world. We’re excited [about] the fact that we have won two titles, winning the first as far as a major professional sports team, and then VGK (Vegas Golden Knights) following suit, and then we’re coming back again with another title. I think you’re seeing this trickling down effect, if you will. The Las Vegas Aces community and surrounding counties have definitely supported us, but you’re also seeing an influx of fans coming to Vegas to watch the Aces. We’re leading the league in attendance, so this community has been unbelievable. We also have the Aces headquarters and we want this to also be a place where we’re hosting camps and clinics. Where we can get in front of the youth and provide resources to help on some of the major issues that are going on in our society. We want to be more than just a team that you see on the floor. We definitely feel a presence that we have to give back to the community as well.
What words do you live by?
“They will be what they see.”
