Last night, the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Sparks met in a game that was a “reunion” for Becky Hammon and former player Dearica Hamby. The game comes just days after Dearica Hamby filed a lawsuit against her former team and the WNBA.
As a reminder, Dearica Hamby claims to have suffered “intimidation” and “discrimination” from the Aces when she announced her second pregnancy, even leading to a transfer. In her complaint, the Olympic bronze medalist in 3×3 accuses the WNBA of not having properly investigated the matter.
At the end of the league's investigation, Becky Hammon was suspended for two games, and yet she has always denied having provoked the transfer of her player because of her pregnancy or having put pressure on her. Which she reiterated after the game.
“Here are the facts”, Hammon defends himself. “I’ve been in the WNBA or the NBA for 25 years now. I’ve never had a complaint from HR. Never, not once. I still haven’t had one, actually, because Dearica hasn’t filed one. She hasn’t filed a complaint with the players’ union, she hasn’t filed a complaint with the WNBA. Those are facts.”
A sporty choice?
The Aces coach also recalled that she never sought to trade Hamby. Rather, it was other teams in the league that were interested in the “6th player of the year.”
“It’s also a fact that no one called to trade him until Atlanta called us in January 2023. That’s a fact. So… it just didn’t happen,” continues the former assistant of Gregg Popovich. “I’m sorry, bullying? I talked to her every day. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn’t want to, she didn’t. I was overly attentive, actually. Overly attentive.” »
Already last year, Becky Hammon suggested that Hamby's move to the Sparks was motivated solely by sporting reasons and not because of her pregnancy. The Aces notably acquired Candace Parker in this trade.
“We made the decision to move Hamby because we could get three players for her one contract. I think the reason seems obvious, but Hamby’s pregnancy was never an issue and was never the reason she was traded. It just wasn’t. It was a matter of math and business. That’s it. Nothing personal.”she explained in May 2023. “I've had a great relationship with Hamby this whole time, which is probably why she felt that way. It feels like a betrayal.”
