Dearica Hamby, Aces agree to dismiss pregnancy discrimination lawsuit

The Las Vegas Aces and WNBA forward Dearica Hamby mutually agreed to dismiss her lawsuit against the team, according to a filing with the U.S. District Court in Nevada on Thursday.

Hamby, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, filed the suit against the Aces and the WNBA in August 2024, alleging unlawful workplace discrimination and retaliation regarding her pregnancy with her second child. In the lawsuit, she alleged “notable” changes in how the Aces treated her after publicly announcing her second pregnancy in the fall of 2022, and said that the team subsequently traded her in January 2023 as a result of her pregnancy.

Hamby, 32, also claimed in the lawsuit that the WNBA did not sufficiently investigate the Las Vegas franchise after she first came forward with allegations of discrimination following her trade.

In May, a federal judge dismissed Hamby’s lawsuit against the WNBA, saying she failed to prove the league didn’t sufficiently investigate the Aces. However, the judge said her lawsuit against Las Vegas could continue.

The Aces and Hamby agreed on Thursday to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning she can’t refile the same claim against the team. Each party is responsible for its attorneys’ fees.

Hamby told Front Office Sports last week, “I stand by what I said” in the original complaint, and that “the case is resolved.” She said she could not comment further on the case.

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

After Hamby’s 2023 trade, she came forward with her allegations of discrimination, and the WNBA investigated her claim. The probe ultimately led to the WNBA rescinding the Aces’ 2025 first-round pick for impermissible player benefits and suspending coach Becky Hammon for two games for violating the league’s “Respect in the Workplace” policies.

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

Hammon denied any wrongdoing.

“I handled Dearica with care from day one when she told me, and she knows that,” Hammon said at a May 2023 news conference. “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.”

Hammon said the Aces made a “math and business” decision to trade Hamby because it “could get three bodies in for her one contract.” Las Vegas traded Hamby to the Sparks for the rights to Amanda Zahui B. and an exchange of 2024 draft picks.

Hamby won the 2022 WNBA championship with the Aces before her trade. The team has gone on to win two more titles in three years.

Hamby, a three-time All-Star, averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 44 regular-season games with the Sparks in 2025.

— Ben Pickman contributed to this report.