SAN ANTONIO — Becky Hammon accused an award-winning former Las Vegas Aces player of "not taking proper precautions not to get pregnant" in January 2023, days before that player was traded to another team, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Nevada.
The suit, filed by Dearica Hamby, alleges the Aces and WNBA discriminated and retaliated against her.
Hammon, the former San Antonio Stars player who was on Gregg Popovich's Spurs coaching staff before departing for Las Vegas, is not named directly as a defendant. But she is cited multiple times in the lawsuit, which says the WNBA didn't adequately punish Hammon even after the Aces head coach was suspended two games without pay after a league investigation into Hamby's allegations that she was bullied and manipulated for being pregnant.
The suit also alleges the WNBA didn't do its due diligence in interviewing Hammon or Aces players as part of its investigation, which unfolded in the spring of 2023.
"Had players been interviews, they could have corroborated key conversations between (Hamby) and Defendant Las Vegas Aces and other relevant facts as alleged by Plaintiff Hamby," the suit says, calling the player's trade to the Los Angeles Sparks "unlawful."
Hammon was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach in 2014, and later became the first female acting head coach in NBA history when Popovich was ejected from a game in December 2020.
The bulk of the suit's allegations against Hammon stem from a phone call with Hamby on Jan. 15, 2023, where the head coach allegedly "questioned Hamby's commitment and dedication" to the Aces, and called the player a "question mark."
"Also during that phone call, Hammon accused Plaintiff Hamby of signing her contract extension knowingly pregnant, a false accusation which Hamby denied," the suit goes on to say.
The head coach is also accused of saying Hamby signed a contract extension knowing she was pregnant and accusing Hamby of "not taking her offseason workouts seriously," two other claims the player denies.
The suit further alleges Hammon didn't deny Hamby was being traded due to her being pregnant.
“We are aware of today’s legal filing and are reviewing the complaint," a WNBA spokesperson said.
The Aces did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the club and Hammon previously refuted the allegations. Hammon said in May 2023 that Hamby was traded for strategic reasons, namely putting the club in position to sign likely future Hall of Famer Candace Parker.
“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. “I think it’s very evident (with) who we signed on why we made the move.”
Hamby, a bronze-medal winner in 3X3 women's basketball in the recently completed Olympic Games, twice previously made public claims against the Aces.
The WNBA investigated the matter and in May 2023 suspended Hammon for two games without pay. The club also was docked their first-round 2025 draft pick for providing impermissible player benefits involving Hamby.
Hamby, however, insisted the league didn't go far enough. She filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September saying she was discriminated against and amended the filing in October.
According to the lawsuit, the EEOC ruled in May she had a “right to sue.”
“The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal laws have long shielded pregnant women from discrimination on the job," Hamby’s attorneys said in a statement. "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.”
Hamby played for the organization from 2015-22, beginning when the Aces were based in San Antonio as the Stars. She was named the league Sixth Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and made the All-Star team three of the past four seasons.
This season, Hamby is averaging career highs 19.2 points and 10.0 rebounds.
Hamby's lawsuit is the latest off-court issue for the Aces.
They also are being investigated by the WNBA regarding a two-year sponsorship deal offered by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in which each player receives $25,000 per month and up to $100,000 per season.
