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Hamby alleges Hammon said the Aces staff
believed she would "get pregnant again for a third time." When
Hamby asked Hammon if she was being traded because she was
pregnant, Hammon did not deny it, per the lawsuit.
The Aces traded Hamby to the Sparks in January 2023 after she
spent eight seasons with the San Antonio/Las Vegas franchise.
She was the Sixth Player of the Year Award winner in 2019 and
2020 and an All-Star in 2021 and 2022.
Hamby also accuses the WNBA of not adequately investigating her
complaint when she initially brought it to the league office.
And after she leveled the complaint, Hamby's marketing contract
with the league was not renewed.
"We are aware of today's legal filing and are reviewing the
complaint," the WNBA said in a statement to The Athletic.
The Aces have not commented on the suit.
Hammon denied mistreating Hamby at a news conference before the
2023 season, saying that "once I made the phone call that the
decision has been made to move her -- you know, that's when
everything kind of fell apart."
That year, the WNBA suspended Hammon for two games for violating
its "Respect in the Workplace" policies over private comments
the coach made about Hamby's pregnancy. The Aces also forfeited
their 2025 first-round draft pick due to impermissible benefits
offered to Hamby during extension negotiations.
Monday's lawsuit revealed that the Aces allegedly agreed to
cover private school tuition for Hamby's elder child in the form
of a "donation" to the school.
Hamby, 30, was named to her third career All-Star team this
season. She is averaging 19.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.5
assists -- all career highs -- through 24 games (all starts).
Hamby has put up averages of 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6
assists in her 306-game career (128 starts).
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