Pregnant WNBA star Dearica Hamby was traded Saturday from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and responded with a scathing Instagram post saying she was “lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against.”
Hamby, who has a 5-year-old daughter, announced in September during the Aces’ championship parade that she was pregnant with her second child.
The 29-year-old claims the Aces, where she has spent her entire pro career, subjected her to “unprofessional and unethical” treatment that left her traumatized before they sent her packing.
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“I was accused of signing my extension knowingly pregnant. This is false,” she wrote. “I was told that I was ‘a question mark’ and that it was said that I said I would ‘get pregnant again’ and there was a concern for my level of commitment to the team.”
“I was told that ‘I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain’ (Because ‘no one expected me to get pregnant in the next two years.’) Did the team expect me not to get pregnant in exchange for the contract extension?” she added.
“I was asked if I planned my pregnancy. When I responded ‘no,’ I was then told I ‘was not taking precautions to not get pregnant.’ I was being traded because I would not be ready and we need bodies.’”
The WNBA Players Association said it is looking into Hamby’s complaints.
“A member of our Union has raised serious concerns regarding the conduct of members of Las Vegas Aces’ management,” it said in a statement.
“We will review this matter and we will seek a comprehensive investigation to ensure that her rights under the [union contract], as well as her rights and protections under state and federal law, have not been violated.”
The WNBA received kudos when it signed a 2020 contract that requires teams to give players their full pay during maternity leave and provide standard accommodations for nursing mothers.
In her Instagram post, Hamby—who was the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year in 2019 and 2020—said she planned to play this season and has been working out, but team staff denigrated her efforts.
“To be treated this way by an organization, by WOMEN who are mothers, who have claimed to ‘be in these shoes,’ who preach family, chemistry, and women’s empowerment is disappointing and leaves me sick to my stomach,” she wrote.
The WNBA has not publicly commented on Hamby’s allegations. The Aces, who posted two videos celebrating Hamby’s achievement and status as a mom after the trade announcement, have also not commented.
The Aces got Amanda Zahui B. from the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Hamby. The Sparks get the Aces’ first-round 2024 draft pick, and the Aces get the Sparks’ first-round pick.
