The WNBA suspended Las Vegas Aces Coach Becky Hammon for two games without pay on Tuesday for comments she made to All-Star player Dearica Hamby about her pregnancy.
Hamby was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in January, four months after the Aces won the championship. At that time, Hamby wrote in a post on Instagram that an unnamed person said “disgusting things” to him. She said she signed an extension contract when she knew she was pregnant and was told she was being sold because “I can’t be ready and we need bodies.” He also said that his commitment to the team was also questioned.
“Does the club expect me to promise not to get pregnant in order to extend my contract?” Hamby wrote in the post. He signed a contract extension in June 2022.
The WNBA did not elaborate on what Hammon said to Hamby, but said that Hammon’s comments violated its own rules regarding respect in the workplace.
The league also said the Aces would forfeit a first-round pick in 2025 to promise Hamby’s undisclosed benefits in negotiations. In his Instagram post, Hamby said he was “promised things that will entice me to sign my contract which has not been fulfilled.”
The WNBA players’ union has called for an investigation into Hamby’s allegations. On February 8, the Aces team said that the league has begun an official investigation and that the team will cooperate.
“As an organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the most talented women in our league, we take our role very seriously,” the Aces said in a statement at the time.
The WNBA season begins on Friday.
This is fake news. This article will be updated.