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By Cassandra Cousineau, LVSportsBiz.com WNBA/Aces Writer
The WNBA has rescinded the Las Vegas Aces 2025 first-round draft pick for violating league rules regarding player benefits after former Aces player Dearica Hamby filed a complaint in January.
Head coach Becky Hammon has also been suspended two games without pay for violating WNBA “respect in the workplace policies,” the league announced Tuesday.
Las Vegas was penalized its 2025 first-round pick because the Aces do not have a 2024 first-round selection after a controversial trade that included Hamby being sent to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Aces later signed star player Candace Parker.
“The Aces failed to adhere to league rules and regulations and have been disciplined accordingly. We are also disheartened by the violation of our Respect in the Workplace policies and remain committed to ensuring that enhanced training is conducted and standards are followed across all WNBA teams,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
The violation was related to alleged comments made by Hammon to Hamby in connection with the player’s recent pregnancy. Hamby’s alleged she was bullied and manipulated for being pregnant.
Hamby, a two-time WNBA Sixth Woman-of-the-Year winner and All-Star, was an integral part of the team’s championship run and had previously signed a two-year extension in June 2022. She was subsequently traded Jan. 21 to the Sparks.
Upon being traded, the mother of two posted a scathing response on Instagram: “Being traded is a part of the business. Being lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against is not.”
At 3:25 PM PT, this email from the Aces was received Tuesday in response to the league action:
As a reminder, here was the WNBA statement from earlier in the day:
According to ESPN, the WNBA was contacted by the players association on behalf of Hamby. The league office then interviewed 33 individuals, reviewed numerous texts, emails and documents during its three month investigation. The investigation did not find any salary cap violations during that process.
The Aces staged their Media Day Monday — a day before the WNBA penalty was announced.
The defending champion Aces open up the season on Saturday against the Seattle Storm before playing at Los Angeles against the Sparks on May 25. The Aces’ home-opener is May 27.