WNBA star Dearica Hamby has filed a lawsuit against her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, and the league itself, alleging discrimination and retaliation related to her pregnancy. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal district court in Nevada, claims that Hamby was subjected to unfair treatment by the Aces after she disclosed her pregnancy in August 2022.
Dearica Hamby, a three-time All-Star and Olympian, now plays as a forward for the Los Angeles Sparks. She contends that after revealing her pregnancy to Aces staff, she began to experience discriminatory behavior, including the team’s failure to pay for her daughter’s school tuition and a sudden instruction to vacate team-provided housing—both of which were agreed upon as part of her contract extension.
The lawsuit also accuses the Aces of questioning Hamby’s commitment to the team and her decision to sign a contract extension knowing she was pregnant. According to the complaint, Aces head coach Becky Hammon implied that Hamby had deliberately become pregnant and expressed doubts about her ability to return to play in time for the next season. Despite Hamby’s assurances that she would give birth during the offseason and be ready for preseason, the team traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks just days after this conversation.
The lawsuit further alleges that the Aces retaliated against Hamby by seeking her medical records without consent and excluding her from a White House invitation extended to other team members after their 2022 WNBA championship win.
The WNBA launched an investigation into Hamby’s claims after she publicly spoke out on social media in January 2023. In May of the same year, the league concluded that the Aces had violated league rules regarding Hamby’s contract, resulting in the team losing its first-round draft pick for 2024 and a two-game suspension without pay for Hammon.
The Aces have maintained that they uphold the highest professional standards, and in response to the investigation, they expressed disappointment with the findings. The WNBA and Becky Hammon have yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit.
Hamby’s lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages, highlighting what she describes as a “clear-cut” violation of federal and state anti-discrimination laws. The case underscores ongoing issues of gender and pregnancy discrimination in professional sports, drawing attention to the treatment of athletes who balance their careers with motherhood.
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