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Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon didn’t hold back when asked to address being sued by former player Dearica Hamby on Sunday.
Hammon and the Aces downed Hamby and the Sparks 87-71 in their WNBA regular season matchup. But after the game, reporters asked Hammon about Hamby suing her and the organization over alleged workplace misconduct.
“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 filed a federal lawsuit against her former team and the WNBA. She alleges 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.
Hammon faced a two-game suspension and the Aces lost a 2025 first-round draft over the matter.
Now, we’re not legal experts. But it’s hard to imagine lawyers for Hammon or the Aces are particularly happy with her addressing the case in this manner.
But Hammon is also adamant that she and the organization did nothing wrong.
If that’s true, it’s a bit bizarre that they were punished by the league. But ultimately, this will all come out in court unless the two sides are able to agree to a settlement.
Hammon and the Aces are the two-time defending WNBA champions.