WNBA champion Dearica Hamby files federal lawsuit against league, Aces alleging discrimination
Dearica Hamby was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby is taking legal action against the WNBA and the franchise she spent the majority of her professional basketball career with.
Hamby, who was drafted in the first round by the then-San Antonio Stars, submitted documentation to the U.S. District Court of Nevada on Monday. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas for the 2018 season and were rebranded to the Aces.
The complaint alleges the three-time WNBA All-Star faced "repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation" leading up to and after she was traded to the Sparks in 2023. Hamby was pregnant at the time.
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Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks prepares to shoot a free throw against the New York Liberty on June 20, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)
The WNBA launched an investigation into Hamby's discrimination claims in 2023.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aces coach Becky Hammon received a two-game suspension as a result of the probe. The franchise also forfeited a first round draft selection. But, Hamby's attorneys argued the league's response to the situation was inadequate.
Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks looks on during the game Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on June 11, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
"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," Dana Sniegocki, Erin Norgaard, and Artur Davis of HKM Employment Attorneys said in a statement.
Las Vegas Aces' Dearica Hamby (5) dribbles up court during a WNBA basketball game against the Phoenix Mercury, on May 6, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)
The lawyers added that Hamby's ordeal should put other potential mothers who are in the WNBA "on notice."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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."
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Hamby is a two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year and was a member of the Aces 2022 WNBA championship team.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital contacted the WNBA and the Aces, but did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment.
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