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Aces head coach Becky Hammon made the perplexing decision to publicly discuss Dearica Hamby’s federal discrimination lawsuit.
The already-complex situation between Sparks star Dearica Hamby and Aces coach Becky Hammon just got a little bit messier.
Hamby, who filed a lawsuit against the Aces and WNBA last week, alleged that when she was on the Aces, she was mistreated once Hammon and the organization learned she was pregnant.
Hamby revealed she was pregnant shortly after signing a contract extension with the Aces in 2022, and detailed in the lawsuit the “repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination, and retaliation” she suffered once her pregnancy came to light. That long list includes being told she should have used contraception, being stripped of the financial incentives she was promised, and more. She ultimately alleges her pregnancy is why she was traded to Los Angeles, and that she suffered emotional harm as a result of the mistreatment.
On Saturday, Hamby and the Sparks faced off against the Aces for the first time since this most recent lawsuit was filed, with the Aces coming away with an 87-71 win and Hamby getting boo’d each time she touched the ball at the Michelob Ultra Arena.
After the game, Becky Hammon was asked about the situation, and immediately interrupted a reporter.
“It just didn’t happen. I’m sorry — the bullying, I spoke with her every day,” Hammon said. “If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn’t, she didn’t. Over-the-top care, actually. Over the top care. That’s the fact.”
“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for 25 years now; I’ve never had an HR complaint—never, not once. I still didn’t actually ‘cause Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the players’ union.She didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are the facts.” Becky Hammon on lawsuit pic.twitter.com/C0K1cLkpVw
— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) August 19, 2024
Hammon also pointed to her otherwise clean track record as evidence that the allegations were false.
“Here’s some facts. I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now, 25 years,” Hammon said. “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.”
The decision to openly discuss pending litigation is an unusual one, but Hammon evidently preferred to keep defend her name rather than go with the more typical “no comment.”
Previously, when the WNBA investigated Hamby’s claims, the league suspended Hammon two games and stripped the Aces of their 2025 first-round draft back. But, the results of that investigation were never published, so it’s unclear exactly what the Aces were charged with.
Back then, Hammon also refuted the allegations, but in a slightly different tone.
“I’m not invalidating her feelings,” Hammon said, per ESPN. “I’m sorry that they were hurt. My job is to have tough conversations. My job is to make the Aces better every year. And sometimes, that’s a hard process. This decision had everything to do with freeing up money to sign free agents. That’s all this was… This trade had to happen for the Las Vegas Aces to get better.
“As much as I could sit there and say, ‘That’s not how I deemed the conversation going,’ she deemed it another way. And for that, I do feel bad, because I’m not that person. Inflicting pain or stress on anybody, it’s not me.”
Next, the Aces have to respond to Hamby’s federal lawsuit. From there, it will work its way through the federal court system.
An Aces spokesperson told ESPN, “As an organization, we continue to stand behind our statement on May 16, 2023, made at the conclusion of the WNBA’s investigation into this matter. Given that this is an ongoing litigation, the Aces will have no further comment at this time.”
