Deandra Duggans speaks at SEICon 2024
Deandra Duggans talks about Las Vegas Aces and its growth in the Las Vegas market
Three-time WNBA All-Star and recent Olympic bronze medalist Dearica Hamby filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday against the WNBA and her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, accusing Hamby of discrimination and retaliation because of her pregnancy.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada and alleges that Hamby suffered “a loss of reputation, prestige and brand value” as well as “a loss of marketing and/or promotional opportunities” after the Aces traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023. The lawsuit seeks damages through a jury trial.
“The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal law has long protected pregnant women from workplace discrimination,” Hamby’s legal team said in a statement Monday. “The world champion Aces banned Dearica Hamby because of her pregnancy, and the WNBA responded with a slap on the wrist. Every potential mother in the league is now on notice that having a child could change her career prospects overnight. That can’t be right in one of America’s most successful and dynamic professional women’s sports leagues.”
The lawsuit alleges that the Aces offered Hamby incentives outside of a two-year contract she signed in June 2022 to retain her services. Those incentives included “an agreement by the Las Vegas Aces to cover the cost of private lessons” for Hamby’s daughter, Amaya, as well as team-provided housing that Hamby used for her family to help with child care when she traveled to away games, according to the lawsuit.
Weeks after signing the contract, the lawsuit says, Hamby discovered she was pregnant and informed Aces coach Becky Hammon and general manager Natalie Williams. However, the lawsuit alleges that Hamby “experienced notable changes in the way she was treated by Las Vegas Aces personnel” after she made her pregnancy public.
These included the team allegedly withholding the promised reduction in school fees for her daughter’s school and her allegedly being evicted from the accommodation provided by the team.
The lawsuit also alleges that Hammon “questioned Hamby’s dedication and commitment to the team” during a January 2023 phone call and that Hammon “did not deny the allegation that Hamby was being traded because she was pregnant.”
Hamby, through the WNBA Player’s Association, called for an investigation of the Aces following the transfer in January 2023. The league opened the investigation in February and announced in May that it had completed the investigation. The WNBA found that the Aces violated league rules on impermissible player benefits – stripping the team of its 2025 first-round draft pick – and suspended Hammon for two games without pay for violating “league and team policies on respect in the workplace.”
“As an organization, we continue to stand behind our May 16, 2023 statement we made at the conclusion of the WNBA’s investigation into this matter,” the Aces said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “As this is an ongoing legal process, the Aces will have no further comment at this time.”
In their statement last year, the Aces said they were “deeply disappointed with the outcome of the WNBA investigation. … The well-being of our players and their families has always been and will continue to be our top priority.”
In September 2023, Hamby filed a discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which then sent Hamby a “Notice of Action” in May 2024. The notice follows an investigation of a complaint by the EEOC and gives a potential plaintiff the opportunity to file suit against an employer in federal or state court.
This season for the Sparks, Hamby, 30, has set career highs in points (19.2), rebounds (10) and assists per game (3.5). At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Hamby won the bronze medal as part of the USA women’s 3×3 basketball team.
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