It's a story that had already cost Becky Hammon a two-game suspension and the Aces the first round of the 2025 draft. But player Dearica Hamby decided to go further by launching legal proceedings against the league and her former franchise.
Olympic medalist with the USA in 3×3 basketballthe former Aces player claims she suffered “bullying” and “discrimination” from her franchise, leading to her trade to the Sparks in January 2023, when she announced she was pregnant with a second child.
Dearica Hamby also blames the WNBA for not having properly investigated this case. The player believes she has lost a lot financially, and she is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from both entities.
WNBA investigation insufficient?
Before sanctioning the Aces, the WNBA interviewed 33 people and studied several text messages, emails and various documents to decide on the suspension of Becky Hammon in May 2023. The former “6th player of the year” criticizes the league for not having questioned teammates at the Aces and for having imposed too light a sanction on her coach and the franchise during this investigation.
Hamby filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last September and was notified in May that she had been authorized to file a complaint.
“The EEOC granted authorization to proceed at our client's request because we want to move on from this litigation,” said a representative of the player. “The EEOC made no findings of fact and authorized an investigation that could last another year or two.”
In the complaint file, Dearica Hamby reveals that she learned of her pregnancy in mid-July and informed her coach and franchise in early August. She also denounces the franchise's dissatisfaction with this subject and several incidents at the end of the 2022 season. For example, we learn that Hamby could no longer use the franchise's housing or that her daughter's school was no longer paid. Hamby also accuses Becky Hammon of having questioned her involvement in the team and that she asked her if this pregnancy was planned.
These are allegations that Becky Hammon and the Aces have always defended themselves against. Including the trade that was purely for sporting reasons.
