Sparks’ Dearica Hamby sues WNBA, Aces for discrimination – Orange County Register

By Mark Anderson AP Sports Writer

LAS VEGAS — Sparks star Dearica Hamby sued the WNBA and her former team in federal court on Monday over her treatment by the Las Vegas Aces during her pregnancy.

Hamby’s lawsuit alleges the Aces discriminated and retaliated against her, leading to her being traded to the Sparks in January 2023. Hamby also alleges the WNBA failed to “adequately investigate” the matter.

“We are aware of today’s legal filing and are reviewing the complaint,” a WNBA spokesperson said.

The Aces did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the club and coach Becky Hammon have previously refuted the allegations. Hammon said in May 2023 that Hamby was traded for strategic reasons — namely, to put 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 people on one contract and we wanted to add three more people,” Hammon said at the time. “I think it’s pretty clear who we signed and why we made the move.”

Hamby, a bronze medalist in women’s 3×3 basketball at the just-concluded Paris Olympics, has already filed two public claims against the Aces. According to the suit, she is seeking economic, compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.

The WNBA conducted a months-long investigation that included interviews with 33 people and a review of numerous texts, emails and other documents before handing down the punishment in May 2023. The league gave Hammon a two-game suspension for what it deemed “a violation of the league and team’s ‘respect in the workplace’ policies.”

The Aces also had their 2025 first-round draft pick stripped for providing impermissible player benefits related to Hamby.

Hamby, however, insisted the league had not gone far enough. In September, he filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging he had suffered discrimination and amended the complaint in October.

According to the lawsuit, the EEOC ruled in May that she had “standing to sue.”

“The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal laws have long protected pregnant women from discrimination in the workplace,” Hamby’s lawyers said in a statement. “The world champion Aces exiled Dearica Hamby for becoming pregnant, and the WNBA responded with a gentle tap on the wrist. Every potential mother in the league is now aware that childbirth could change their career prospects overnight. That can’t be right in one of America’s most thriving and dynamic women’s professional sports leagues.”