Dearica Hamby's case against the Las Vegas Aces is getting some traction. Becky Hammon's former player experienced some rough moments of discrimination during her time in the organization. Then, a move to the Los Angeles Sparks happened unexpectedly. Now, she is suing reportedly her former team for damages and is also looking to do the same to the WNBA. After the two squads faced each other, even her former head honcho had to comment on the situation.
The Sparks could not put up much of a fight against the Aces. They slipped to a 21-loss record after a tough outing which ended with an 87-71 scoreline. However, this was not the main story when Dearica Hamby and Becky Hammons' squads clashed. It was the insights that the Aces head coach had to give regarding the lawsuit that the Sparks star is pursuing that mattered, via Johnny Resendiz of KTNV.
“Here are some facts. I've been in the WNBA or NBA for 25 years and I've never had an HR complaint, not once. I still didn't actually because Dearica couldn't file anything. She didn't file for the player's union, she didn't file for the WNBA. Those are facts,” Coach Hammon said.
The trade that sent Dearica Hamby from the Aces to the Sparks
![Aug 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Sparks forward Dearica Hamby (5) and guard Crystal Dangerfield react before the game against the New York Liberty at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Dearica-Hamby.jpg)
Hamby's claim is that the Aces discriminated against her while she was pregnant. Apparently, there were also acts of retaliation taken against the now Sparks star. All of this culminated in her getting traded in January of 2023. Hammon cleared the air on that too.
“It's also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January. That's a fact. To me, it just didn't happen, the bullying. I spoke with her every day. She wanted to practice, and she practiced. If she didn't, she didn't. Over-the-top care actually, that's the facts,” the Aces head coach said.
The Sparks star along with her camp had something to say for the league and the Aces.
“The world champion Aces exiled Dearica Hamby for becoming pregnant and the WNBA responded with a light tap on the wrist. Every potential mother in the league is now on notice that childbirth could change their career prospects overnight. That can’t be right in one of the most prosperous and dynamic women’s professional sports leagues in America,” the statement said.
There is a lot to uncover in this situation. Hopefully, the truth will come out sooner rather than later.