Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the league and her former team, alleging the Las Vegas Aces discriminated against her after she indicated she was pregnant.
NBC News reported that the league was named as a defendant in the suit because Hamby claims they failed to adequately punish the Aces after last year’s investigation, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by the outlet.
Hamby, 30, an All-Star and recent Olympic champion, revealed her pregnancy to Aces staff in August 2022, just days after learning she was expecting her second child, son Legend, and weeks after signing a two-year contract extension with the team, according to the suit.
The complaint also states that after Hamby disclosed her pregnancy on social media, Aces staff began treating her differently; they did not pay her daughter’s school tuition and told her to leave the team-provided housing without providing a reason, per NBC News.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon was named in the lawsuit but not listed as a defendant. Her involvement relates to an alleged January 2023 conversation about Hamby’s commitment to the team since her pregnancy. According to the suit, Hammon accused Hamby of signing her contract extension knowing she was pregnant and also of not taking better precautions to prevent getting pregnant.
Hammon claimed she needed additional players and was uncertain if Hamby would be ready for the season. Days later, the Aces announced the 30-year-old’s trade to the Sparks. In May 2023, Hammon stated that Hamby was traded for strategic reasons and to accommodate the signing of All-Star Candace Parker , according to The Associated Press .
“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,” Hammon said at the time, per AP. “I think it’s very evident (with) who we signed on why we made the move.”
At the time, the WNBA had launched an investigation in May 2023, resulting in a two-day suspension without pay for Hammon and the docking of the team’s first-round 2025 draft pick. However, Hamby contends that the league’s response was insufficient and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September, alleging discrimination. She amended the filing in October.
In May, the EEOC ruled that Hamby had the right to sue her former team. Her attorney issued a statement asserting that female players in the league should not fear job loss or fines due to pregnancy, emphasizing that federal laws mandate compliance from organizations.
“The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal laws have long shielded pregnant women from discrimination on the job,” the statement reads, per AP. “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.”
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