Aces coach Becky Hammon again disputes Dearici Hamby’s claims of mistreatment during pregnancy

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon has once again disputed former Aces player Dearica Hamby’s claims that the team mistreated her and traded her because she was pregnant.

Hamby, traded to Los Angeles in January 2023, played for the organization from 2015-2022, starting when the Aces were based in San Antonio. She won sixth-team player of the yr honors in 2019 and 2020 and won a bronze medal in 3X3 basketball on the Paris Olympics.

Hamby, who went public along with her accusations last yr, sued the WNBA and her former team in federal court on Monday, alleging discrimination and retaliation.

“I’ve been playing in the WNBA or NBA for 25 years,” Hammon said Sunday after the Aces beat Hamby and the Sparks 87-71. “I’ve never had a complaint with HR. Never, not once. I still haven’t because Dearica never filed a complaint. She didn’t file a complaint with the players’ union, she didn’t file a complaint with the WNBA. Those are the facts.”

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“It’s also a fact that nobody made the decision to trade her until Atlanta called us in January (2023). That’s a fact. So … it just didn’t happen.”

Hammon has previously dismissed the allegations, saying in May 2023 that Hamby was traded for strategic reasons, namely to permit the club to sign potential future Hall of Fame inductee Candace Parker.

“We made the decision to move Hamby because we could get three people on her contract and we wanted to get three more people,” Hammon said on the time. “I think it’s very obvious who we signed, why we made that decision.”

The WNBA investigated the matter and suspended Hammon for 2 games without pay in May 2023. The club also stripped its 2025 first-round draft pick for providing improper advantages to players involving Hamba.

Hamby insisted the league didn’t go far enough. She filed a grievance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September, alleging discrimination, and adjusted her application in October. The EEOC ruled in May that she had a “standing to sue,” in line with the lawsuit.