Dearica Hamby knew that it was going to be a difficult return back to Las Vegas — the Sparks’ forward had made the trip several times since being traded from the Aces to Los Angeles.
But, the most recent visit — an August 18th game between the Sparks and the Ace — was undeniably different.
That’s because this time, she was just a few days removed from filing a federal lawsuit that detailed the “repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination, and retaliation” she faced after informing the Aces, and head coach Becky Hammon, that she was pregnant — which she alleges ultimately resulted in her trade. In the 18-page lawsuit, Hammon delineated that she was promised extra benefits by the Aces — like getting her daughter’s private school tuition covere — but that once her pregnancy came to light, she lost them. A full explainer of the allegations can be found here.
It wasn’t the first time Hamby’s allegations against the Aces and Hamon were looked into; when the WNBA conducted an investigation last year, they suspended Hammon for two games and stripped the organization of their 2025 first-round draft pick.
But, this time, with Hamby seeking financial compensation, the lawsuit was escalated to the federal level, and a new wave of media coverage followed.
So, on August 18th, when the Sparks visited the Aces for the first time since the federal suit was filed, Hamby knew that going back to Las Vegas could end up being a challenging experience.
“Ironically, I tried to process it and prepare myself, in a sense, but you can’t really prepare for it until you go through it,” Hamby said on a recent podcast episode of Good Game with Sarah Spain.
When the Aces-Sparks game began, she was reportedly booed every time she touched the ball.
(dearica hamby’s getting booed every time she touches the ball. loudly. it is … something.)
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) August 18, 2024
“I fought back tears the entire game,” Hamby said. “It was heartbreaking, but people don’t fully know and understand, they’re just going off the sport aspect of it. I understand that.”
Hamby, a three-time All-Star, played for the Aces for 8 years prior to the trade, winning Sixth Woman of the Year in 2019 and 2020, before helping the franchise to its first-ever title in 2022.
But, as the boos echoed in the Michelob ULTRA arena, her illustrious resume with the Aces organization didn’t seem to matter, and instead, the lawsuit was front and center. In the podcast, Hamby told Sarah Spain that she speculated a lot of the animosity came from newer fans.
“I don’t know if they were new fans, I think a lot of the old fans probably weren’t participating in that,” Hamsby said. “But, just the love and heart that I poured into being a part of that, and I didn’t ask to leave, so to say.”
After the August 18 Sparks-Aces game, which resulted in an 87-71 Aces win, Hammon denied any wrongdoing to reporters.
“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.”
It’s been almost a month since the two teams faced off in front of the raucous Aces crowd. The Sparks season is nearly over, the Aces look to make a playoff push — and the federal pregnancy discrimination lawsuit remains pending. It’s a story that’s likely far from over, and one that could yield other ramifications.
For now, Hamby just hopes for a positive outcome.
“It was a moment that — leading up to it, I had severe overwhelmingness and anxiety in my stomach,” she said. “That process has passed, I’m just looking forward to the right thing being done.”