WNBA All Star Player Dearica Hamby Suffers Pregnancy Discrimination from Las Vegas Aces

The WNBA league announced on May 16 that they will be rescinding the Las Vegas Aces’ 2025 draft pick and will suspend head coach Becky Hammon for two games. This decision is a result of two investigations that were conducted after All-Star Dearica Hamby’s claims were made public. In January, Hamby was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks while she was pregnant with her second child. After the trade, Hamby publicly stated on Instagram that she felt heartbroken after being discriminated against. The Aces acquired center Amanda Zahui B. and swapped their 2024 first round pick for Los Angeles’ 2024 second round pick.

According to Hamby’s statement, the Aces had made promises to her in order to have her sign a contract extension, then accused her of signing while she was pregnant. She signed a two-year extension to remain with the Aces last June. Then, Hamby announced her pregnancy during the teams WNBA championship celebratory parade in October. The two-time Sixth Player of the year, said in a statement that she was asked if she had planned her pregnancy and then was told that she was not taking precautions to not get pregnant. “To be treated this way by an organization, BY WOMEN who are mothers, who have claimed to be ‘in these shoes,’ who preach family, chemistry, and women’s empowerment is disappointing and leaves me sick to my stomach,” Hamby stated.

Becky Hammon was suspended for two games without pay for violating league and team Respect in the workplace policies. In 2020, the WNBA enacted a CBA that stipulated that players are to receive their full salary and a childcare stipend while on maternity leave. In addition to that, teams are allowed a maternity cap exception that permits them to sign a replacement player if needed.

The Las Vegas Aces were found out to have offered Hamby improper incentives in her contract. As a result of these findings, the team’s first-round pick has been rescinded. Dearica Hamby claimed that the team attacked her integrity and work ethic even though she always expressed interest in playing in 2023 and participated in offseason workouts while carrying her child. On May 14, nine weeks after giving birth to her son, Hamby played 20 minutes in the Sparks versus Storm scrimmage.