Aces stand by Becky Hammon as team addresses federal lawsuit

The Aces reiterated that the organization did nothing wrong in a statement Tuesday addressing Dearica Hamby’s federal lawsuit against the team and the WNBA.

The filing includes allegations of “repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation” surrounding Hamby being traded from the Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks while pregnant in January 2023. She is now seeking damages for emotional distress and economic losses associated with being moved into a new market.

“As an organization, we continue to stand behind our statement on May 16, 2023 made at the conclusion of the WNBA’s investigation into this matter,” the Aces’ statement said. “Given that this is an ongoing litigation, the Aces will have no further comment at this time.”

Hamby went public with claims of discrimination immediately after the announcement that she was being traded, and the WNBA opened an investigation in response. Coach Becky Hammon was suspended two games without pay, and the team lost a future draft pick as a result of the league’s findings, which were announced on May 16, 2023.

In the statement to which the Aces’ most recent comment refers, the team defended Hammon.

“The Las Vegas Aces are deeply disappointed by the outcome of the WNBA investigation. We are committed to supporting all our players to the fullest extent allowed by the WNBA. Our actions have always been consistent with our responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest professional standards, and the facts we presented were consistent with these standards. The well-being of our players and their families has and will always be at the forefront of who we are.

“The WNBA’s determinations about Becky Hammon are inconsistent with what we know and love about her. Becky is a caring human being who forges close personal relationships with her players. We stand behind Coach Hammon as she continues to lead the Las Vegas Aces.

“As expected, the facts did not demonstrate that the Aces violated the salary cap by paying players ‘under the table’ or acted impermissibly during the 2023 free agency period. We look forward to continuing to support our players, coaches, employees, and the Las Vegas community.”

Hamby’s recent legal filing names Hammon, Aces general manager Natalie Williams and president Nikki Fargas, all of whom have publicly addressed the situation in the past.

Front office

When the Aces announced that they’d acquired the negotiating rights to center Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 second-round pick from the Sparks in exchange for Hamby and a 2024 first-round pick, Williams had positive words for Hamby.

“Dearica has dedicated eight years of her career to this organization, and played a big role in our success since the team moved to Las Vegas,” Williams said. “We’re going to miss her as a teammate, and are grateful for all of her contributions to the Aces over the years.”

After trading Hamby, the Aces welcomed WNBA legend Candace Parker, decorated veteran Alysha Clark and international center Cayla George.

Fargas addressed Hamby’s claims during Parker’s introductory news conference.

“Our players and their families will always be in the forefront of who we are as a franchise,” she said. “We are here to assemble the best team possible, and when putting together a team, there are times when trades will happen. But that’s for us to also remain competitive. The moves we’ve made, obviously, have given us the flexibility we needed to sign (those) players.”

Becky Hammon

Hammon vehemently denied any bullying or discrimination toward Hamby as she addressed reporters via Zoom a day after the WNBA’s penalties were announced.

“I don’t recall my relationship with Hamby being anything but on the up-and-up,” she said. “It’s never (good) to have your name be associated with something like that, which is not who you are as a person. That’s not how I operate.”

Hammon heralded her team’s professionalism throughout the investigation but said that she wasn’t aware that any of her players from last season were questioned as part of it.

While the WNBA said “the investigation included interviews with 33 people and a review of numerous texts, emails and other documents,” Hammon said she never exchanged “one bad text” with Hamby.

Hammon added that she doesn’t email her players at all, and implied that any inappropriate texts provided to the league may have been doctored.

“I handled Dearica with care from day one when she told me (about the pregnancy), and she knows that,” Hammon said. “Once I made the phone call that the decision had been made to move her, that’s when everything kind of fell apart.”

Hammon echoed the team’s messaging by saying moving Hamby was simply best for the salary cap and roster improvement.

“It came down to math in business. That’s all it was. Nothing personal. I had a great relationship with Hamby the whole time. Which is why she probably felt the way she did,” Hammon said.

Ultimately, Hammon emphasized that she never wanted to invalidate Hamby’s feelings but that her job is to “have tough conversations” and help the Aces advance.

“As much as I could sit there and say, ‘That’s not how I deemed the conversation going,’ she deemed it another way. And for that, I do feel bad,” Hammon said. “Because I’m not that person. Inflicting pain or stress on anybody … it’s just not in me. It’s not my heart.”

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.