'Didn't happen': Hammon denies mistreating Hamby

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon reiterated Sunday what she has said previously about former Aces player Dearica Hamby's trade to Los Angeles in January 2023. Hammon has denied that the Aces mistreated Hamby or traded her because she was pregnant.

Hamby filed a federal lawsuit last Monday against the WNBA and the Aces, alleging that because of her pregnancy, she was subject to "repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation from the Aces" before being traded to the Sparks. Hamby also alleges the WNBA failed to "properly investigate" the issue.

Sunday, the Aces defeated Hamby and the Sparks 87-71 in Las Vegas. After the game, Hammon addressed the lawsuit when asked about it in the postgame news conference.

"Here's some facts," Hammon said. "I've been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years. I've never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still didn't, actually, because Dearica didn't file any. She didn't file with the players' union, she didn't file with the WNBA. Those are facts.

"It's also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January [2023]. That's a fact. So ... it just didn't happen. I'm sorry, the bullying? I spoke with her every day. If she wanted to practice, she practiced. If she didn't, she didn't. Over-the-top care, actually. Over-the-top care."

Hamby was part of the Aces' 2022 WNBA championship team and had been with the organization since being drafted No. 6 in 2015 when the Aces were still located in San Antonio and called the Stars. The franchise moved to Las Vegas in 2018.

Hamby re-signed with Las Vegas in June 2022 during the season. In the lawsuit, she said along with the two-year contract extension, the Aces offered her a series of enticements, including use of team-provided housing and an offer to cover the private school tuition costs for Hamby's daughter, Amaya.

Hamby in the lawsuit said she then found out in mid-July 2022 that she was pregnant and told Hammon and the Aces in early August. She alleges the Aces were unhappy with her, and that after the 2022 season, the use of team-provided housing was rescinded, and her daughter's school tuition was not paid. She also alleges that Hammon asked her if she planned the pregnancy and questioned her dedication to the team, allegations that Hammon has denied.

When Hamby was traded to the Sparks in January 2023, she posted her allegations against the Aces on social media, prompting the WNBA's investigation, which was also called for by the WNBA players' union.

The league's monthslong investigation included interviews with 33 people and a review of numerous texts, emails and other documents. In May 2023, the WNBA gave Hammon a two-game suspension for what it deemed "a violation of league and team 'respect in the workplace' policies."

The league at that time also rescinded the Aces' first-round draft pick in 2025 for a different violation, this one regarding impermissible player benefits involving Hamby.

But Hamby was displeased with the WNBA's process and discipline decisions. Last September, she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). On May 23 this year, she received a "Notice of Right to Sue" from the EEOC. At that point, Hamby had 90 days to file a lawsuit, which she did last Monday.

An attorney for Hamby told ESPN on Monday, "The EEOC issued the [right to sue] document at our client's request because we wanted to move forward with litigation. The EEOC did not make any finding regarding the facts; to permit a full-scale investigation might have entailed another year or two of delay."

A spokesperson for the WNBA told ESPN on Monday, "We are aware of today's legal filing and are reviewing the complaint." An Aces spokesperson told ESPN, "As an organization, we continue to stand behind our statement on May 16, 2023, made at the conclusion of the WNBA's investigation into this matter. Given that this is an ongoing litigation, the Aces will have no further comment at this time."

Hammon has been adamant that she and the Aces did not mistreat Hamby and that the organization did not trade her because she was pregnant.

"[Hamby's pregnancy] wasn't a problem, and it never was why we made the decision," Hammon said in May 2023. "We made the decision to move Hamby because we could get three bodies in her one contract, and we wanted to get three more people in. I think it's very evident [with] who we signed on why we made the move."

One of the players the Aces signed for 2023, when they repeated as WNBA champions, was longtime WNBA star Candace Parker.

"It came down to math in business. That's all it was. Nothing personal," Hammon said. "I had a great relationship with Hamby the whole time. Which is why she probably felt the way she did. You know, it feels like a betrayal. But like I said, it's a crappy part of my job, but somebody's got to be the bearer of bad news."

Hamby gave birth to her son, Legend, in April 2023 and played all 40 games last season with the Sparks, who did not make the WNBA playoffs.

Now in her second season in Los Angeles, Hamby was a WNBA All-Star in July and was part of the United States' 3x3 women's basketball bronze-medal team at the Paris Olympics. Sunday, she had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals in the Sparks' loss.