Dearica Hamby lawsuit, explained: Why WNBA star is suing Las Vegas Aces for discrimination over her pregnancy

Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby has filed a federal lawsuit against the Las Vegas Aces.

The WNBA star is alleging intimidation, discrimination and harassment by the Aces as a result of her pregnancy prior to being traded from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in 2023.

"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," Hamby's attorneys said in a statement Monday, according to CBS Sports .

"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."

The Sporting News has you covered with all the information you need on Hamby's lawsuit.

Dearica Hamby lawsuit, explained

Hamby has filed a federal lawsuit against the Las Vegas Aces, alleging intimidation, discrimination and harassment by the Aces over her pregnancy, which she announced after winning the WNBA title with the Aces in September 2022.

Las Vegas traded Hamby to the Sparks in January 2023, after which Hamby released a statement on Instagram to reveal more details about the transaction.

“Being traded is part of the business," Hamby wrote. "Being lied to, bullied, manipulated and discriminated against is not.

"I have had my character and worth ethic attacked. ... I was told that I was 'a question mark' and that it was said that I said I would 'get pregnant again' and there was a concern for my level of commitment to the team."

Hamby went on to say the Aces said she was traded because she "wouldn't be ready" and they "needed bodies" despite her efforts to play during the 2023 season following her pregnancy. (Hamby did end up playing all 40 games for the Sparks that season.)

Separately, the Aces were also accused of "circumventing salary cap" with under-the-table incentives to clear the cap space, a valuable commodity for a team that managed to sign star forward Candace Parker to a one-year, $100,000 contract in 2023.

Hamby filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Sept. 2023 and the WNBA launched its own investigation into the situation.

The league's investigation found that the Aces "violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies."

Head coach Becky Hammon was suspended for two games during the 2023 season for comments she made about Hamby's pregnancy. The WNBA also took away the Aces' 2025 first-round draft pick as a result of impermissible benefits offered to Hamby during contract extension negotiations. Hamby's attorneys called the punishments a "light tap on the wrist."

The Las Vegas franchise issued a statement on how it was "deeply disappointed by the outcome of the WNBA investigation" and that the league's "determinations about Becky Hammon are inconsistent with what we know and love about her."

The statement concluded with, "We stand behind Coach Hammon as she continues to lead the Las Vegas Aces."

Now, 15 months later, Hamby is filing a federal lawsuit against the Aces franchise seeking damages.

"The investigation also did not result in any tangible remedy to me. Moreover, I do not believe the investigation sought to uncover the truth about my allegations that I was discriminated against for being pregnant," Hamby's complaint stated, per CBS Sports.

MORE: Explaining Becky Hammon's suspension after WNBA investigation

What did Becky Hammon say about Dearica Hamby?

At the time of the WNBA's investigation, Hammon completely denied Hamby's claims .

“I handled Dearica with care from day one when she told me [about the pregnancy], and she knows that,” Hammon said during a press conference on May 17, 2023.

“Those are completely false,” Hammon said of the allegations.

“I never had one bad text between me and Dearica Hamby. Completely false. Or email. First of all, I don’t email my players, I talk to them directly. But we do exchange texts, and anything that is less than the up-and-up I can tell you is adamantly false from any person in this organization. That’s not how we do business. That’s not who we are.”

Hamby's lawsuit reiterates her claims about Hammon's comments regarding her pregnancy. As of Monday, Aug. 12, Hammon has not responded to Hamby's federal lawsuit of the Las Vegas Aces.