Aces/Raiders Owner Mark Davis All In With Hiring Of Hammon And Other Key Women Leaders For WNBA Las Vegas Team
By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
Enter Michelob Ultra Arena during a Las Vegas Aces home game and you can’t miss owner Mark Davis. He’s the guy front and center not only enjoying the game, but verbalizing agitation with the officiating crew for perceived errant calls.
He’s all in.
Since purchasing the team from MGM Resorts International just under a year ago, Davis has been instrumental in four significant hires of women with notable basketball pedigree in leadership positions. This week, WNBA great and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon was introduced as the Aces’ new head coach. The hire surprised the NBA, but more importantly, solidified the sidelines of the W. All part of Davis’ plan.
Aces President Nikki Fargas had a message for the team’s fanbase. “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, thank you Santa Claus!”
The former LSU women’s basketball coach has known the Raiders/Aces owner for nearly 20 years. Her husband, Justin Fargas, wore the Silver and Black from 2003-09. Davis has carried his father’s staunch belief in “The Raider Way” of building an organization centered on family, and planting roots.
“It started with Mark Davis, our owner, ” Fargas said. “He wanted to elevate the league, and elevate these young ladies so they could have an affordable salary here and stay in the States. His vision is not only to elevate the players but to also elevate those who have paved the way.”
Perched in a hotel conference room in Toronto where she was scheduled to continue her duties for the Spurs, Hammon joins five other women who currently helm a WNBA team
“I couldn’t be prouder than to come back to the W,” Hammon said. “It’s where I’m from. We’re not even having this conversation if it wasn’t for the WNBA, so I couldn’t be happier to come back and give back.”
Davis backs up his enthusiasm for the game by opening his pockets to put the most qualified individuals in place to lead the team. With the Aces, those individuals also happen to be women.
Hammon is reportedly earning the highest salary of any WNBA coach in league history.
“When you have an owner who wants to uplift this league by showing the value, whether it’s the value of hiring someone like Becky, we’re recognizing talent, and we’re investing in the talent,” Fargas said. “Coaches need to be paid, and they need to be at that level where we feel is very worthy of Becky’s contract.”
The six-time WNBA All-Star said it was the approach of Davis and Fargas that sealed her decision.
Her intention was to continue to ascend in the NBA as a woman in the men’s game.
“I sat in head coaching interviews and people said two things, ‘You’ve only been in San Antonio and you’ve never been a head coach.’ Well, I can tell you right now Mark Davis met me, Nikki met me and said ‘That’s a head coach right now.’
Between the hires of Fargas and Hammon, the Aces introduced former University of San Francisco women’s basketball coach Jennifer Azzi as chief business development officer, and Blair Hardiek as chief marketing and communications officer.
Blair Hardiek. Credit: Aces
That kind of put your money where your front row seats are attitude has to resonate with the young, and maturing Las Vegas Aces players who have knocked on the door of a championship all while renting practice and locker room space at UNLV.
Davis has talked openly about securing a real practice and business facility for the team. Work has already begun on a new, 45,000-square-foot training facility adjacent to Raiders headquarters in Henderson. It’s said to have two full-size courts, locker rooms and training facilities. Davis stated last year, “Everything they need to create a home for them.” The new digs are expected to be unveiled in the spring of 2022.
If we’re going to talk about changing minds, you have to change it generationally — which means my two little boys need to know what it looks like to be a leader. And to them, their mom’s a leader and that’s how they look at it. That’s it. — new Aces head coach Becky Hammon
When you look down the Aces sidelines this season you’ll see an organization represented by accomplished, talented women.
Hammon replaces the Aces’ original coach, Bill Laimbeer.
“This is the best possible scenario for the Las Vegas Aces,” Laimbeer said. “It takes a tremendous amount of energy to be a head coach. In Becky, the team now has somebody who can serve in that role for the long term, which is great for both the players and the franchise.”
Laimbeer will continue to work for the Aces, focusing initially on assisting with the team’s roster construction for 2022. The league’s free agency signing period begins next week.
“We are forever thankful for the dedication and commitment Bill Laimbeer has made to the Aces organization and to the WNBA,” added Fargas. “He has been completely encouraging and supportive of this transition, and is as excited as the rest of us are to see what the future holds for this team and this city.”
