In a shocking turn of events, WNBA star Dearica Hamby has filed a lawsuit against the WNBA, and her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, alleging discrimination and retaliation for her pregnancy. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating her rights under state and federal laws.
This case raises important questions about the treatment of pregnant athletes in professional sports and the responsibilities of teams and leagues to provide necessary accommodations and support. Pregnancy discrimination is a serious issue that affects many women in the workforce, but it is particularly shocking when it occurs in the highly competitive world of professional sports.
Hamby, a multiple-time all-star who won a championship with the Aces in 2022, signed a multi-year contract extension with the team that June. The lawsuit says the Aces promised Hamby “certain benefits and inducements outside of the contract,” including covering private school tuition for her young daughter Amaya and providing housing accommodations for Hamby’s family.
Hamby discovered she was pregnant the next month, the lawsuit continues. Hamby alleges in the suit that, when she told Hammon and Aces management and then publicly announced her pregnancy during the championship parade that September, there were changes in the way she was treated – including being ordered to vacate the team-provided housing and the team backpedaling on the tuition payments.
The suit also details a phone conversation in January 2023 in which, it alleges, Hammon called her a “question mark,” accused her of signing her contract knowing she was pregnant and telling her she hadn’t held up her end of the bargain.
The day of the alleged phone call, Hamby wrote in a social media post, “Imagine expressing your fears as a woman and being pregnant in this profession/world…. Then to be reassured that you were supported.. and your back was “had”…. only to then be used against you. Lmao”
Shortly afterward, Hamby was traded to the Sparks. She continued to speak out on social media, asking “Did the team expect me to promise not to get pregnant in exchange for the contract extension?”
Following an official WNBA investigation, the Aces lost their first round draft pick for 2025 over “impermissible player benefits” and Hammon was suspended for two games for violating the team’s and league’s “respect in the workplace policies.”
Hamby asserts that the WNBA didn’t impose adequate punishment on the Aces or Hammon and that the team retaliated against her after she went public in the social media post with her claims of discrimination.
In standing up against the discrimination and retaliation she faced, Dearica Hamby is not only fighting for her rights but also sending a powerful message to the sports world that pregnant athletes deserve respect, support, and fair treatment. Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, her courageous stance is a reminder that athletes, like all workers, should be treated with dignity and equality, both on and off the court.
