Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon calls to players during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Washington Mystics, Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP/Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun)
- Dearica Hamby sues WNBA and former team, alleging discrimination and retaliation related to her pregnancy.
- Becky Hammon denies any HR complaints, stating Hamby's trade was initiated by Atlanta's call in January 2023.
- WNBA suspended Hammon and penalized the Aces, but Hamby pursued further legal action through the EEOC.
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LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon again disputed former Aces player Dearica Hamby’s claim the Aces mistreated her and traded her because of her pregnancy.
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Hamby’s Allegations and Lawsuit
Hamby, traded to Los Angeles in January 2023, played for the organization from 2015-22, beginning when the Aces were based in San Antonio. She earned the league Sixth Player of the Year award in 2019 and 2020 and won a bronze medal in 3X3 basketball at the Paris Olympics.
Hamby, who went public with her accusations last year, sued the WNBA and her former team in federal court last Monday alleging discrimination and retaliation.
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Hammon’s Response to Allegations
“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years,” Hammon said Sunday after the Aces beat Hamby and the Sparks 87-71. “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.
“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.”
Hammon previously refuted the allegations, saying in May 2023 that Hamby was traded for strategic reasons, namely putting the club in position to sign likely future Hall of Famer Candace Parker.
“We made the decision to move Hamby because we could get three bodies in her one contract, and we wanted to get three more people in,” Hammon said at the time. “I think it’s very evident (with) who we signed on why we made the move.”
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WNBA Investigation and Consequences
The WNBA investigated the matter and in May 2023 suspended Hammon for two games without pay. The club also was docked their first-round 2025 draft pick for providing impermissible player benefits involving Hamby.
Hamby insisted the league didn’t go far enough. She filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September saying she was discriminated against and amended the filing in October. According to the lawsuit, the EEOC ruled in May she had a “right to sue.”
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