Dearica Hamby files federal lawsuit against WNBA, Aces (2024)

Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby filed a lawsuit in federal court in Nevada on Monday against the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces, alleging unlawful workplace discrimination and retaliation.

She alleges “notable” changes in how the Aces treated her after publicly announcing her second pregnancy in the fall of 2022, and that the team subsequently traded her in January 2023 as a result of her pregnancy.

Hamby also claims the WNBA did not sufficiently investigate Las Vegas after she first came forward with her allegations of discrimination following her trade in January 2023, an investigation which later resulted in the WNBA rescinding the Aces’ 2025 first-round pick for impermissible player benefits and suspending coach Becky Hammon two games for violating the Respect in the Workplace policies.

In the lawsuit, Hamby also alleges that during a phone call in January 2023, prior to her trade, Hammon told her she was a “question mark” and Hammon did not deny Hamby’s assertion on the call that Hamby was being traded because she was pregnant.

Las Vegas did not immediately respond to The Athletic’s request for comment.

The WNBA spokesperson said in a statement to The Athletic on Monday: “We are aware of today’s legal filing and are reviewing the complaint.”

Hammon has “vehemently” denied any wrongdoing in the past. “I handled Dearica with care from day one when she told me, and she knows that … once I made the phone call that the decision has been made to move her — you know, that’s when everything kind of fell apart,” she said at a news conference in May 2023.

Hammon said the Aces made a “math and business” decision to trade Hamby because it “could get three bodies in for her one contract.” Hamby, a two-time Sixth Player of the Year, was traded in January 2023 to the Sparks for the rights to Amanda Zahui B. and an exchange of 2024 draft picks.

Hamby previously filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2023. She received her “Notice of Right to Sue” in May, according to her attorneys. In the suit filed Monday, Hamby is seeking compensatory damages.

According to the lawsuit obtained by The Athletic, in the late spring of 2022, Las Vegas offered Hamby, its former first-round pick, a two-year contract extension with benefits outside of the contract to entice her to sign and not test the open market. Among them, the lawsuit alleges the Aces offered to cover the private school tuition costs for Hamby’s first child, Amaya, in the form of a “donation to the school.” Hamby signed the extension.

However, the lawsuit says that Las Vegas general manager Natalie Williams and president Nikki Fargas were vague with Hamby in September and November about fulfilling the promise to pay the tuition after Hamby had alerted the team and the public of her second pregnancy.

The lawsuit also alleges Hamby was told to vacate team-provided housing that fall.

Hamby’s lawsuit additionally alleges a series of exchanges with Hammon, who is accused of asking Hamby whether her pregnancy was planned and telling her she did not take proper precautions to avoid pregnancy.

“We reiterate our previous position that in the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement, player parents gained protections that ensured becoming a parent did not mean the end of a career,” WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said in a statement. “Obviously, these protections did not change the nature of this business. Any team can trade any player for any legitimate reason or no reason at all. But that reason can never be on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, parental status, or pregnancy status.”

At the time of the Aces’ punishment and Hammon’s suspension in May 2023, the WNBA announced its findings and said it interviewed 33 people, in addition to reviewing texts, emails and other documents. In Monday’s lawsuit, however, Hamby alleged the WNBA failed to properly investigate her claims of workplace discrimination, did not interview key witnesses in connection (notably not interviewing any Las Vegas players) or take future steps to deter conduct by Hammon.

Hammon, at the aforementioned news conference, said the league did not interview any players from the 2023 Aces during its investigation.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said in a statement she was “disheartened” by the violation of the Respect in the Workplace policies, adding “the Aces failed to adhere to league rules and regulations” and were disciplined accordingly.

According to the lawsuit, Las Vegas wrongfully obtained confidential medical records from Hamby after trading her, did not extend her an invitation to attend the commemorative championship celebration at the White House celebrating their first title and issued a directive to players and staff to cease communication with her.

The Aces have been the subject of a separate investigation this season, involving a partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, in which players would be provided with a $100,000 annual sponsorship for this season and 2025. Engelbert said during last month’s All-Star Weekend the investigation was ongoing.

Hamby is in her second season with Los Angeles. She made her third All-Star appearance last month and recently won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in 3×3 basketball.

Required reading

• Dearica Hamby files gender discrimination complaint against WNBA, Aces
• Las Vegas Aces fail test by dodging questions about Dearica Hamby
• Dearica Hamby named to U.S. Olympic 3×3 team, replaces injured Cameron Brink

(Photo: Kate Frese / Getty Images)

Ben Pickman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the WNBA and women’s college basketball. Previously, he was a writer at Sports Illustrated where he primarily covered women’s basketball and the NBA. He has also worked at CNN Sports and the Wisconsin Center for Journalism Ethics. Follow Ben on Twitter @benpickman