Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon calls out to players during the second half of an WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty at Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.
Published Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024 | 5:52 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024 | 7:41 p.m.
Dearica Hamby walked off the court at Michelob Ultra Arena on Sunday en route to the visiting team’s locker room. She briefly stopped to hug her daughter, Amaya.
It was a small moment of peace for the Los Angeles Sparks forward who was repeatedly booed throughout the game by Aces fans in her return to Las Vegas.
Every free throw, every shot, every time she grazed the ball, she was met by jeers inside an arena she used to call home.
A’ja Wilson had 34 points and 13 rebounds in an 87-71 victory for the Aces in a game that featured plenty of bad feelings for Hamby.
That’s because she filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the team and the WNBA alleging discrimination based on her pregnancy.
Hamby’s lawyers claim she was discriminated against by the Aces for becoming pregnant with her second child while she was with the team and that the WNBA failed to take appropriate action. Hamby wasn’t made available for comment.
“The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal laws have long shielded pregnant women from discrimination on the job. The world champion Aces exiled Dearica Hamby for becoming pregnant and the WNBA responded with a light tap on the wrist,” Hamby’s attorneys said in a statement.
Hammon had not responded to questions about the lawsuit since it was filed, but when asked about the integrity of herself and the organization in the postgame news conference, she said she had “facts.”
“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for 25 years now. I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never, not once,” Hammon said. “I still don’t, because Dearica (Hamby) didn’t file any with the players union or the WNBA. Those are facts.”
She said the allegations of bullying “did not happen.”
“I spoke with her (Hamby) every day. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn’t, she didn’t,” Hammon said. “Over-the-top care, actually. Those are the facts.”
While the crowd was avidly against Hamby, it didn’t stop her from finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sparks coach Curt Miller praised Hamby for how she handled the tense environment.
“Tonight, it’s just really special for what she (Hamby) went through here in Vegas and the performance she put together,” Miller said. “I’m just really proud of her and she has been such a great player to coach.”
Not all of the Aces fans were against Hamby. A group of fans had homemade signs reading “Hamby changing the game for women” and “Hamby, thank you for protecting female athletes.”