Las Vegas Aces say they are cooperating with WNBA in probe over Dearica Hamby’s discrimination allegations
By Jacob Lev and Wayne Sterling, CNN
The Las Vegas Aces said they are cooperating with the Women’s National Basketball Association in the investigation into claims made by player Dearica Hamby, who said the team discriminated against her for getting pregnant.
The Aces confirmed Wednesday that they are aware of the investigation launched by the WNBA and will assist the league with any information requested.
“As an organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the tremendously talented women in our league, we take seriously our responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest professional standards,” the Aces said in a statement Wednesday.
Also Wednesday, the WNBA confirmed the investigation is underway after it was announced last month.
“The WNBA is currently conducting an investigation involving the Las Vegas Aces in connection with allegations raised in a recent social media post by Dearica Hamby,” a WNBA spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.
After getting traded to the Los Angeles Sparks last month, Hamby claimed the Aces discriminated against her for getting pregnant.
“Being traded is a part of the business. Being lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against is not. I have had my character and work ethic attacked,” Hamby wrote in an Instagram post.
Hamby signed a two-year contract extension with the Aces in June. She said she was accused of signing the extension while knowing she was pregnant, which she denied in her post.
“This is false,” Hamby wrote. “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, who announced her second pregnancy following the Aces 2022 WNBA Finals victory in September, added that the team believed she would not be ready to play this season.
“I planned to play this season, and I have expressed my desire to play this season,” Hamby said. “I have pushed myself throughout my entire pregnancy and have continued to work out (basketball included) on my own and with team staff – even on days where it was uncomfortable to walk, only to be inaccurately told that ‘I was not taking my workouts seriously.'”
Hamby was drafted sixth overall in the 2015 WNBA Draft by the then-San Antonio Silver Stars. The Silver Stars moved to Las Vegas and became the Aces in 2018.
The 29-year-old was named the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2019 and 2020. Hamby averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Aces last season.
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