WNBA player Dearica Hamby says she was 'bullied' and accuses the Las Vegas Aces of trading her over
- WNBA player Dearica Hamby was traded from the Las Vegas Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday.
- Hamby said she was "bullied" by the Aces management after they learned she was pregnant.
- The WNBA Players Association said it would review the matter after "serious concerns" were raised.
WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby is accusing the Las Vegas Aces of discrimination and bullying, writing on social media that they traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks after learning she was pregnant with her second child.
On Saturday, Hamby, 28, shared the news of her trade on Instagram with a post that included a black-and-white maternity photo.
Hamby first announced she was pregnant in September 2022 during the Aces championship parade. Footage of the moment was shared online.
Hamby, who helped the Las Vegas Aces win the 2022 WNBA Championship, thanked her teammates and fans before directing her disappointment toward management.
"I am heartbroken," Hamby, who also has a five-year-old daughter, wrote. "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 then addressed speculation that she signed a contract extension with the Las Vegas Aces while she was "knowingly pregnant."
"This is false. I was told that I was 'a question mark' and that it was said that I would 'get pregnant again' and there was a concern for my level of commitment to the team," Hamby wrote. "Because no one expected me to get pregnant in the next two years."
Hamby wrote she was questioned about the pregnancy being planned, and after answering no, was told by management that "she was not taking precautions to not get pregnant."
"I was traded because 'I wouldn't be ready and we need bodies,'" Hamby wrote.
Hamby added that she intended to play during the upcoming WNBA season, adding that she "pushed herself" throughout her pregnancy by training on her own and with team staff. However, Hamby said Las Vegas Aces management said she was not "taking her workouts seriously."
"I remained transparent with everyone within the organization, and yet, my honesty was met with coldness, disrespect, and disregard from members of management," Hamby wrote.
Hamby finished her statement adding that the "unethical and unprofessional way" she was treated left her "traumatized."
—Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) January 21, 2023"To be treated this way by an organization, BY WOMEN who are mothers, who have claimed to 'be in my shoes,'"who preach family, chemistry, and women's empowerment is disappointing and leaves me sick to my stomach."
Representatives for Hamby told Insider that she had no further comment.
Following Hamby's statement, the WNBA Players Association said they received "serious concerns regarding the conduct of members of the Las Vegas Aces' management."
"We will review this matter and we will seek a comprehensive investigation to ensure her rights under the collectively bargained provisions of the 2020 CBA, as well as her rights and protections under state and federal law, have not been violated," the organization said in a statement shared to Twitter.
—WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) January 21, 2023Representatives for WNBA Players Association and the Las Vegas Aces did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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