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WNBA's Dearica Hamby Filed Pregnancy Discrimination Complaint Against Las Vegas Aces

The Las Vegas Aces just won their second consecutive WNBA championship. Dearica Hamby played for the Aces during the season that they won their first championship. Following a successful season, she felt good about her relationship with the team and the coach, Becky Hammon. 

Last summer, Hamby told Hammon she was pregnant. The player alleges Hammon wanted to know whether Hamby intended to get pregnant and whether she used birth control. Hammon purportedly said Hamby was not "holding up her end" of Hamby's two-year extension bargain. According to Hamby, Hammon told her that the team did not expect her to get pregnant during those two years. When Hammon notified Hamby that the team was trading her, Hamby asked whether it was happening because of her pregnancy. Hammon allegedly responded, “What do you want me to do?”

Hamby filed a gender and pregnancy discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Hammon, the Aces, and the WNBA. The Aces did not respond to a request for a statement from the Washington Post. Hammon denied the allegations, saying the Aces traded Hamby because of "math and business," not her pregnancy. The WNBA said it conducted a thorough investigation of Hamby's allegations and "levied appropriate discipline based on its findings." The WNBA suspended Hammon for two games. Hamby says the punishment was just a slap on the wrist for overt discrimination. Hamby notes salary cap rules make it difficult for teams when a highly paid player gets pregnant, and she thinks the league should adjust.