Ex-player can pursue lawsuit against Aces; claims vs. WNBA dismissed

The Aces are the only remaining defendant in Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby’s federal discrimination lawsuit, as all of her claims against the WNBA were dismissed last week by the U.S. District Court in Nevada.

A former two-time Sixth Player of the Year for the Aces, Hamby’s initial filing alleged the Aces were “unlawfully motivated” to trade her to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023 because she was pregnant with her second child.

She also alleged that the Aces and WNBA retaliated against her following her public claims on social media that her former team mistreated her.

Her lawsuit was filed in August of last year. The Aces and WNBA moved for it to be dismissed a month later.

Tuesday’s order from U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon, obtained by the Review-Journal, said the decision to deny the Aces’ motion to dismiss Hamby’s discrimination claim came down to two of her allegations: that the Aces failed to invite her to their White House visit celebrating their 2022 WNBA championship win and prohibited the team’s videography staff from projecting her daughter on the video screen at an Aces game.

Three of her other claims did not have a clear connection to retaliation, but she can file an amended complaint fixing her arguments by June 6, the order said.

Those claims were that the Aces instructed players and staff not to speak to Hamby, attempted to access her medical records after informing her of the trade and that former general manager Natalie Williams incorrectly implied during a public radio interview that she was aware of Hamby’s pregnancy in June 2022.

The Aces parted ways with Williams in October. The court’s latest order names fourth-year coach Becky Hammon as an Aces “decisionmaker” and representative whose alleged comments to Hamby leading up to the trade allow for “reasonable inference that the Aces discriminated against Hamby due to her pregnancy.”

The Aces have stood by Hammon when addressing the federal lawsuit.

Tuesday’s order said Hamby also “plausibly alleged that the trade to the Sparks caused her harm beyond the trade itself,” because she very could have lost brand value and endorsement opportunities by joining a less competitive team in a more saturated endorsement market.

Hamby’s claims against the WNBA included that they didn’t investigate her situation sufficiently and failed to renew her league marketing contract. The court dismissed all claims against the league with prejudice.

After the WNBA’s investigation into Hamby’s claims, Hammon was suspended for two games and the Aces lost their 2025 first-round draft pick.

Hammon responded to the league’s decision by telling reporters that she “handled Dearica with care from day one” and traded her solely for business purposes.

After a home game against the Sparks last August, which marked Hamby’s return to Las Vegas, Hammon interrupted a question about the lawsuit and denied the allegations once again.

“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years. I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never. Not once. I still (haven’t) actually, because Dearica didn’t file any,” Hammon said. “She didn’t file with the players union. She didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are facts. It’s also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us.”

The Aces signed veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus in February, knowing that she is pregnant and will miss more than half of the 2025 season.

The Aces did not reply to a request for comment.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.