Sports
Report: Ex-Aces player files federal complaint against team, WNBA – Las Vegas Review-Journal
Dearica Hamby filed a gender discrimination complaint against the Aces and the WNBA last week, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Former Aces forward Dearica Hamby filed a gender discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Aces and the WNBA last week, according to a report Wednesday in The Washington Post.
Hamby, a two-time Sixth Player of the Year who spent eight seasons with the Aces franchise dating to the team’s time in San Antonio, was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks during the offseason. She alleged in a social media post on Jan. 21 that she had been discriminated against because of her recent pregnancy.
The WNBA’s months-long investigation included interviews with 33 individuals, along with a review of text messages, emails and other documents.
Aces coach Becky Hammon was suspended for two games without pay May 16. The team also forfeited its 2025 first-round draft pick because of salary cap circumvention connected with a two-year contract extension Hamby signed June 29, 2022.
Hamby alleges in the EEOC complaint that the league’s investigation wasn’t thorough enough and did not provide Hamby with a “remedy” despite finding the Aces violated league policy, according to the Post, which said it obtained a copy of the complaint. She also called the perceived shortcomings of the league’s investigation retaliation for her public statements about the trade.
The Aces, the WNBA and Hamby’s representatives did not respond to the Review-Journal’s requests for comment. The EEOC told the Review-Journal it is not allowed to comment or confirm any complaints because of federal law, and any written materials or decisions that may result from a charge are also confidential. The EEOC will only release information when and if it decides to file a lawsuit, it said.
The situation took an unexpected turn Wednesday when the New York Liberty’s official X account reposted Washington Post reporter Molly Hensley-Clancy’s post detailing a few of Hamby’s allegations against Hammon. The Liberty later said their account was “compromised.”
“We take incidents like this seriously and are engaging the league to investigate further,” the Liberty said in a statement on social media.
The top-seeded Aces and No. 2 Liberty play Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.
Hamby’s complaint also expands on some of the details she first alluded to in her initial social media post. It reiterates Hamby’s allegations that she was accused of not taking precautions to avoid pregnancy, and was told she was not holding up her end of the bargain in relation to her contract extension.
She also alleges the Aces further retaliated against her by not showing her daughter, Amaya, on the jumbotron during a game. Hamby also said her former teammates have not communicated with her since she went public with her allegations.
The two-time All-Star forward, who won the WNBA championship with the Aces last season, also pointed to the league’s failure to interview any of her former Aces teammates during the investigation. It’s similar to a complaint Hammon raised when her punishment was first announced.
At the time, a league source with knowledge of the situation told the Review-Journal that the Aces were allowed to volunteer additional organization members for interviews and decided against it.
Hamby is far from the only party left unhappy with the league’s investigation. The Women’s National Basketball Players Association said the penalty “misses the mark” in a statement May 16, criticizing the decision for not punishing the Aces enough.
Hammon was defiant in the immediate aftermath of her suspension. Speaking May 17, she said the decision to trade Hamby was strictly a basketball decision, and while Hammon said Hamby is within her rights to interpret their interactions, the Aces coach insisted she’d “handled Dearica with care from Day 1 when she told me.”
The Aces organization and the team’s current players have continued to back Hammon, the 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year, through the process. A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker and Kelsey Plum, the first vice president of the WNBPA, spoke May 17 and voiced support for Hammon despite the allegations.
“We’re going to play for her,” Wilson said May 17. “No matter what.”
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.
WNBA expanding
The WNBA has agreed to grant the Golden State Warriors an expansion franchise in 2025, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
While the deal hasn’t been finalized, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is expected to be in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday to announce the new franchise, the person said.
The WNBA team would be headquartered in Oakland, and games would be played at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Associated Press
A’ja Wilson’s 343 career blocks rank 19th in WNBA history. Her early love of volleyball gave her the foundation to become a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
At 27, Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is already among Sin City’s greatest all-time athletes — armed with two WNBA championships and a pair of MVPs to show for it.
The Aces’ path to a repeat championship was a roller coaster, but concluded with WNBA history being made with a victory in the Finals over the Liberty.
Aces star A’ja Wilson wore a cast on her left hand at the team’s championship parade Monday. Wilson was named the MVP of the WNBA Finals.
The superstar performer couldn’t make the Aces victory parade but invited the team to his Dolby Live show.
Mark Davis had never seen a WNBA game in person until the Aces moved to Las Vegas in 2018. But last week, he was grooving it up on the court as the owner of back-to-back league champions.
Las Vegas loves a winner and the Aces are exactly that, transforming in five years from the WNBA’s perennial cellar dweller in San Antonio into a budding dynasty in the desert.
The Aces and their fans celebrated their 2023 WNBA championship with a parade on the Strip and they weren’t hesitant to talk about a third consecutive title in 2024.
Locally adored and nationally recognized, the Las Vegas Aces are featured on a new mural in the heart of the city.
There was a lot of love and admiration spoken as the Las Vegas Aces celebrated their second straight WNBA championship at Toshiba Plaza.
Las Vegas News Raiders News Las Vegas Sphere Oakland A’s Move Las Vegas Casinos Las Vegas Crime Las Vegas Shows Sports Betting F1 Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants Lake Mead Las Vegas Weather
Copyright © 2019 Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
Powered by WordPress.com VIP
