Las Vegas Aces and Dearica Hamby agree to drop WNBA lawsuit

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces and Dearica Hamby mutually agreed to dismiss her lawsuit against the WNBA club, according to a federal court filing Thursday.

Hamby, who now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, sued the Aces and the league over alleged mistreatment because of her pregnancy at the time. A federal judge dismissed her lawsuit against the WNBA in May, saying Hamby failed to prove her allegations that the league failed to properly investigate the Aces.

Hamby filed the suit in August 2024 that alleged the Aces discriminated and retaliated against her, resulting in her January 2023 trade to the Sparks. The league and club filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit in September 2024.

The Aces and Hamby filed a motion Thursday with the U.S. District Court in Nevada to dismiss with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. Each side is responsible for their attorneys’ fees.

Hamby told Front Office Sports she would not discuss the case’s outcome, but otherwise she stood “by what I said” in her lawsuit.

There was no immediate comment from the Aces.

Coach Becky Hammon previously asserted that Hamby was traded to Los Angeles to put the Aces in position to potentially sign likely future Hall of Famer Candace Parker.

“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years,” Hammon said at the time. “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.”

Hamby, a three-time All-Star, averaged a career high 18.4 points last season as well as 7.9 rebounds. She was a two-time WNBA Sixth Player of the Year for the Aces.

The Aces are coming off their third WNBA championship in four seasons.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball