Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon has once again rejected former Aces player Dearica Hamby’s claim that the Aces mistreated her and traded her because of her pregnancy.
Hamby, who was traded to Los Angeles in January 2023, had been with the Aces from 2015 to 2022, starting when the team was still in San Antonio. She won the league’s Sixth Player of the Year award in 2019 and 2020 and earned a bronze medal in 3X3 basketball at the Paris Olympics.
Hamby made her accusations public last year and filed a lawsuit in federal court against the WNBA and her former team last Monday, alleging discrimination and retaliation.
“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for 25 years,” Hammon said Sunday after the Aces defeated Hamby and the Sparks 87-71. “I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never, not once.
I still didn’t, actually, because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the players’ union, she didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are facts.
“It’s also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January (2023). That’s a fact. So … it just didn’t happen.”
Hammon had previously denied the allegations, explaining in May 2023 that Hamby was traded for strategic reasons, particularly to allow the team to sign potential future Hall of Famer Candace Parker.
“We made the decision to move Hamby because we could get three players for her one contract, and we wanted to bring in three more people,” Hammon said at that time. “I think it’s very clear (with) who we signed on why we made the move.”
The WNBA looked into the issue and in May 2023 suspended Hammon for two games without pay. The team also lost their first-round draft pick for 2025 due to providing improper benefits related to Hamby.
