Report: Ex-Aces player files federal complaint against team, WNBA

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.