You Have To Wear Condoms If You Want To Play For The Las Vegas Aces

Earlier this year, 2-time WNBA All-Star, Dearica Hamby, claimed that the Las Vegas Aces discriminated against her which led to her being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks for Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 2nd round pick.

Here is what Hamby said on her Instagram:

“Being traded is part of the business. Being lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against is not. I was promised things to entice me to sign my contract extension that was not followed through on. I was accused of signing my extension while pregnant. This is false. I was told I was ‘a question mark.’”

I was asked if I planned my pregnancy. When I responded, ‘no,’ I was then told that I ‘was not taking precautions to not get pregnant.’ I was being traded because ‘I wouldn’t be ready and we need bodies.’ I planned to play this season, and I have expressed my desire to play this season.”

I understand pregnancies in the WNBA are different than a majority of workplace pregnancies but it’s still nasty to accuse a player of like, not reporting to the team that they were having raw sex. I know you want everyone locked in and focused on the team goal and all that sweet stuff but still feels gross and invasive.

This week, the WNBA announced they had finished investigating Dearica Hamby’s claims. The Aces will lose their 2025 first-round pick and head coach, Becky Hammon, will be suspended for the first two games of this season.

We have rescinded the Las Vegas Aces’ 2025 first-round draft pick for violating league rules regarding impermissible player benefits & suspended head coach Becky Hammon for two games w/o pay for violating league and team Respect in the Workplace policies

Full Statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MtHz1yP2Gm

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 16, 2023

The WNBA has already proven they have a difficult time giving a shit about their own players so it shouldn’t shock anyone to hear a team punishing a player for not telling them that she was trying to get pregnant because it didn’t fit their team plans.

All women have to worry about their pregnancies negatively affecting their careers but you’d like to think a league with an entirely female workforce would understand how delicate this situation is. Nope. You’d think with Becky Hammon being a female leader in that organization, you would never see anything like this occurring. Nope.

It doesn’t matter if you work a Whole Foods or you’re a secretary at a dental office or you operate forklifts all day—your employment should not be at risk because you are withchild.

But Becky Hammon is making this situation even nastier by wildly defending herself from this claim.

Becky Hammon started her availability by saying she “echos” the statement that the Aces released, adding:

“I don’t recall my relationship with Hamby being anything but on the up and up.”

— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) May 17, 2023

Becky Hammon on the league investigation:
“I never had one bad text [or email] between me and Dearica Hamby.”

— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) May 17, 2023

Becky Hammon denies any mishandling of Hamby’s situation. Says she was “careful” with Hamby from the beginning and says she had a great relationship with her the whole time.

“We made the move on Hamby becasue we could get 3 body’s for her 1 contract. It was never personal.”

— Terrika 💙💛 (@SheKnowsSports) May 17, 2023

Las Vegas Aces Head Coach Becky Hammon says none of last year’s players were interviewed about the Dearica Hamby situation. She says the only player she knows being interviewed was former center Liz Cambage (who never played for Hammon). #WNBA

— Women’s Hoopz (@WBBWorldWide) May 17, 2023

Becky Hammon is cutting WWE promos telling the world she had nothing to do with Dearica Hamby being mistreated. I can’t tell if she is just an asshole lying to cover how secretly terrible she is or if she wants to make it extremely clear that she was not the villain of this story, especially with her name in the Toronto Raptors head coaching rumors. Becky can’t have her reputation ruined before she inevitably makes her jump to the NBA and leaves the Las Vegas Aces behind without an ounce of remorse.

The Las Vegas Aces should be walking into this season beating their chests. They’re not only the defending champions but they signed future Hall of Famer, Candace Parker, in the offseason. Instead of discussing them as title favorites, I have to look at them sideways because they keep a bowl of condoms in every room to make sure their players don’t dare get pregnant.

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