Las Vegas Aces deny outrageous mistreatment of pregnant WNBA star Dearica Hamby

A lawsuit filed by Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby includes some significant allegations against her former team, the Las Vegas Aces. Hamby has also included the WNBA in her legal motion, which means that the league could be in for a messy stretch of time in the near future.

According to ESPN, Hamby sued the Aces and the WNBA, contending that she was subjected to “repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation from the Aces” during her pregnancy.

According to ESPN, Hamby said she was offered childcare related benefits for her daughter that was part of the two-year contract extension she signed with Las Vegas. The alleged benefits involved usage of team-provided housing, as well as private school tuition coverage.

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Hamby reportedly told Aces head coach Becky Hammon and the rest of the team that she was pregnant in August 2022. The three-time All-Star contends that Hammon asked Hamby if she planned the pregnancy, while also questioning her dedication to the team. Hammon allegedly opined that Hamby signed the contract extension knowing a pregnancy was on the way.

ESPN reports that Hamby contends the Aces did not live up to their end of the bargain, as the franchise revoked privileges to use team-funded housing, and that her daughter’s schooling was no in fact paid for.

Hammon told AP News, “I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years. I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still didn’t, actually, because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the players’ union, she didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are facts.”

Becky Hammon also said, “It’s also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January 2023. That’s a fact. So… it just didn’t happen.”

The WNBA looked into the situation and suspended Becky Hammon for two games without pay in May 2023. The Aces were also stripped of their 2025 first-round draft pick, according to AP News, for “providing impermissible player benefits involving Hamby.”

Hamby was not satisfied with the punishment the WNBA levied on Hammon and the Aces. According to AP News, she did file a complained with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2023, where she contended she was discriminated against. The EEOC came back to her in May 2024 claiming that she does have a right to sue.

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According to the Chicago Sun Times, Hamby is hoping to recoup unspecified compensation and punitive damages.

In January 2023, the Aces dealt Hamby to the Los Angeles Sparks for Amanda Zahui and a second round draft pick. She has found her stride with the Sparks.

Hamby played the 2023 campaign in Los Angeles, but it feels like she has really settled in during her second season with the team. She’s averaging a career high in points, rebounds and assists, playing the most minutes she ever has in her career, according to Basketball Reference.

Before things unraveled in Las Vegas, Hamby was one of the premier bench players in the WNBA. In 2019 and 2020, she won back to back Sixth Woman of the Year awards, given to the player who made the greatest impact as a reserve. She came in second for that award in 2021.

The Aces head coach told the New York Times, “It just didn’t happen… the bullying. I spoke with her every day. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn’t, she didn’t. Over-the-top care, actually.”

According to Sportico, Hamby also claims that Aces players were instructed not to talk to her, and that the team refused to invite her to the White House ceremony with Vice President Kamala Harris after the Aces won the 2022 WNBA title. She also believes that Las Vegas tried to illegally access her medical records.

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The WNBA and its owners will need to use this scenario as a learning experience. Sportico believes that Hamby’s situation could later the way the league operates with regard to player pregnancies down the road, and that this could set an important precedent.