Former Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby officially filed a lawsuit Monday against the Aces and the WNBA, accusing the team of discrimination, intimidation and retaliation after she revealed she was pregnant.
The Aces traded Hamby to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023, and she claims she observed notable differences in how the team treated her following her pregnancy announcement.
The lawsuit states specifically that Hamby was forced to vacate team-provided housing, and that the Aces failed to pay the private school tuition of her daughter, which Hamby claims the Aces had promised to cover.
Click here for the full lawsuit
Hamby also claims Aces head coach Becky Hammon bullied her and accused her of not being committed to the team.
The lawsuit details a phone call between Hamby and Hammon in which Hamby said, "You're trading me because I'm pregnant?"
According to the lawsuit, Hammon did not deny the accusation and responded to Hamby by saying, "What do you want me to do?"
The league conducted an investigation prior to last season, suspending Hammon for two games and stripping the Aces of their 2025 first-round draft pick.
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Hamby's attorney claims the Aces "exiled" her client after finding out she was pregnant, violating federal laws that protect women from discrimination in the workplace.
"The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal laws have long shielded pregnant women from discrimination on the job," Hamby's attorney said in a statement. "The world champion Aces exiled Dearica Hamby for becoming pregnant and the WNBA responded with a light tap on the wrist. Every potential mother in the league is now on notice that childbirth could change their career prospects overnight. That can't be right in one of the most prosperous and dynamic women's professional sports leagues in America."
In May 2023 coach Hammon denied Hamby's allegations and gave her side of the situation.
WATCH | Here's what head coach Becky Hammon had to say:
Scripps News Las Vegas reached out to the Aces for a statement on the lawsuit but did not get a response by the time of this story's publication.
This story was originally published by Johnny Resendiz at Scripps News Las Vegas.
