Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby has taken legal action by filing a federal lawsuit against the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces. She alleges that her former team and head coach Becky Hammon withheld agreed-upon benefits and questioned her commitment to the team upon learning of her pregnancy.
Hamby, a multiple-time all-star and a championship winner with the Aces in 2022, signed a contract extension with the team in June of that year. The lawsuit states that the Aces had promised her certain benefits outside the contract, such as covering her daughter’s private school tuition and providing housing for her family.
After discovering she was pregnant the following month, Hamby claims that her treatment changed when she informed Hammon and Aces management, and publicly announced her pregnancy during a championship parade in September. This included being asked to leave the team-provided housing and the team reneging on the tuition payments.
The lawsuit also recounts a phone conversation in January 2023 where Hammon allegedly referred to her as a “question mark,” accused her of signing the contract while pregnant, and claimed she hadn’t fulfilled her end of the deal.
Hamby took to social media after the phone call, expressing her disappointment at feeling unsupported and her words being used against her due to her pregnancy.
Shortly after this incident, Hamby was traded to the Sparks and continued to raise her concerns on social media, questioning if the team expected her to give up the possibility of getting pregnant in exchange for the contract extension.
Following a WNBA investigation, the Aces lost their 2025 first-round draft pick for “impermissible player benefits,” and Hammon was suspended for two games for violating workplace respect policies. Hamby asserts that the WNBA’s penalties were insufficient, and that the team retaliated against her after she publicly disclosed the discrimination she faced.
After the birth of her son Legend in March 2023, Hamby played all 40 games for the Sparks that season. She was selected as an all-star for the third time and won a bronze medal in women’s 3×3 basketball at the Paris Olympics.
