"I fought back tears the entire game": Dearica Hamby details harrowing experience of getting booed by Aces crowd after filing lawsuit
Back in August, Dearica Hamby filed a lawsuit against the WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces. Hamby accused the Aces' front office and head coach Becky Hammon of "repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation," upon informing the team that she was pregnant.
The Aces traded Hamby to the Los Angeles Sparks in January of 2023, which Hamby alleges is due to her pregnancy, as she informed the team of such just months earlier.
On August 18, just five days after reports of the lawsuit broke, Dearica Hamby and the Sparks were set to travel to Las Vegas to take on Hamby's former team. Instead of a consoling welcome amid the serious allegations against the organization, Hamby was met with a barrage of boos from the crowd.
On Wednesday's episode of Good Game with Sarah Spain, Hamby detailed her experience from the game and how emotional it was for her.
"Ironically, I tried to process it and prepare myself in a sense, but you can't really prepare for it until you go through it. I fought back tears the entire game. It was heartbreaking, but people don't fully know and understand, they're just going off the sport aspect of it. I understand that," Hamby said.
Hamby finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds, despite the onslaught of boos erupting from the crowd any time the three-time All-Star touched the ball.
Aces, WNBA attempt to dismiss Dearica Hamby lawsuit
On Wednesday afternoon, the Las Vegas Aces and the WNBA coincidentally filed separate motions to dismiss Dearica Hamby's lawsuit, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Both motions state that Hamby's lawsuit filing "failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted," and the Sparks forward also alleged that she lost marketing opportunities after moving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
Hamby is also reportedly seeking compensation for emotional damages, as she alleged Becky Hammon and Aces staff had noticeably changed their attitudes towards the All-Star forward following the announcement of her pregnancy.
The Las Vegas Aces' lawyers have called the accusations "false" and stated that Dearica Hamby's retaliation claim is "insufficiently pled".