Aces Coach Becky Hammon Asserts 'Facts' About the Dearica Hamby Lawsuit
On August 12, former Las Vegas Aces and current Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby filed a lawsuit against the Aces and the WNBA to the U.S. District Court of Nevada that dates back to early 2023, when Hamby was traded to the Sparks while pregnant.
The complaint alleges Hamby was the victim of, "repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination, and retaliation," often at the hands of Aces head coach Becky Hammon.
Among the legal documents of the lawsuit, it is alleged that Hammon questioned Hamby's dedication and commitment to the team, that Hamby was made to vacate team-provided housing, and that Aces attempted to wrongfully obtain Hamby's medical records after she was no longer rostered in Las Vegas.
Hamby and the Sparks faced the Aces on Sunday, in a game that Las Vegas won 87-71. Hamby was booed ceaselessly by Aces fans throughout the game. After the game, Hammon addressed the media and declared the "facts" of Hamby's ongoing lawsuit.
"Here's some facts," Hammon began, per X user @T_RA1N. "I've been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years. I've never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still don't, actually, because Dearica [Hamby] didn't file any. She didn't file with the player's union, she didn't file with the WNBA. Those are facts.
"It's also factual that nobody made a call about trading [Hamby] until Atlanta called us in January. That's a fact," Hammon added.
"And so, to me, it just didn't happen. I'm sorry. The bullying... I spoke with her every day. She wanted to practice? She practiced. If she didn't, she didn't. Over-the-top care, actually. Over-the-top care. That's a fact."
1st question of post game presser and Becky Hammon said she had some facts to give to the media about the Dearica Hamby situation. #WNBA pic.twitter.com/fXyNsy9AIb
— KT ⁶𓅓 (@T_RA1N) August 19, 2024
Given Hammon's apparent bitterness about what the lawsuit contained, it appears that this situation is only going to get messier before anything gets resolved.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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