Hamby Says She Suffered False Accusations and Discrimination by Employer After Getting Pregnant

WNBA player Dearica Hamby

False accusations hurt and can create deep emotional and psychological wounding. Feelings of discrimination, the same. Together, the combination can be overwhelming. When an employee and employer experience this type of conflict and it becomes public, perceptions, emotions and harsh judgment are sure to happen.

Pregnant WNBA Star: I Was ‘Discriminated Against’ With Trade was covered by The Daily Beast and writer Tracy Connor.

“Dearica Hamby was traded… from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and responded with a scathing Instagram post saying she was ‘lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against,’” Connor writes.

Hamby, the WNBA’s Sixth Woman of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and a mom of a 5-year-old daughter, announced in September that she was pregnant. She says, after that she was treated in a manner that was “unprofessional and unethical.”

“To be treated this way by an organization, by WOMEN who are mothers, who have claimed to ‘be in these shoes,’ who preach family, chemistry, and women’s empowerment is disappointing and leaves me sick to my stomach,” she wrote.

Hamby wasn’t done.

“I was accused of signing my extension knowingly pregnant. This is false,” she wrote. “I was told that I was ‘a question mark’ and that it was said that I said I would ‘get pregnant again’ and there was a concern for my level of commitment to the team. I was told that ‘I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain’ (Because ‘no one expected me to get pregnant in the next two years.’) Did the team expect me not to get pregnant in exchange for the contract extension?

“I was asked if I planned my pregnancy. When I responded ‘no,’ I was then told I ‘was not taking precautions to not get pregnant.’ I was being traded because I would not be ready and we need bodies.’”

This report can’t be positive public relations or helpful for a business that is comprised of women players.

On the other hand, the Las Vegas Aces organization may have felt it needed certainty as to player availability and was unsure if Hamby would be available while it counted on her and was paying her.

This article examines the conflict and the communication angle.

An employee didn't feel treated in a civil, respectful manner. Of course, Hamby would feel emotions of shock and anger. The employer, the Aces, being exposed in public with damning criticism should have been an expected reaction, yet maybe wasn’t by franchise leadership.

Kelly Fox is freelance PR and marketing strategist, with a specific focus in sports,
at Strategic Storybook.

“What Hamby experienced was extremely unprofessional on the part of the organization,” says Kelly Fox, once a director of marketing and communications for two Olympic organizations, a current member of Compete Sport Diversity's Women in Sports committee, and a freelance PR and marketing strategist, with a specific focus in sports, at Strategic Storybook.

“Questions that include whether she was pregnant — or could become pregnant — are unlawful regardless of her profession and this blatant act of discrimination has left the organization susceptible to not only public backlash, but potential legal ramifications as well, considering the Pregnancy Discrimination act of 1978, as well as the 2020 contract signed by the WNBA regarding maternity leave and other accommodations for pregnant and nursing mothers,” Fox says.

“While she still might be receiving the benefits she is entitled to, the line of questioning they used could land them in a significant amount of hot water.”

The thought process and communication about a contentious issue did not succeed and each party doesn’t appear to be understanding the other’s experience, needs, expectations and upset.

“In athletics as a female, there is never a convenient time to announce that you will be out of peak condition and that you will need to take maternity leave, etc.,” Fox says. “To the leadership of an athletic organization, their ultimate goal is to have a team that is ready to compete. That being said, the way they communicated with her stripped away every characteristic that makes Dearica Hamby who she is, instead treating her like a cog in the machine.

“If she had torn an ACL (knee injury), had an unfortunate car accident or had an illness that put her out of peak condition for the same amount of time, I would argue that their response would have been different.

“Additionally, regardless of whether she intended or didn't intend to get pregnant, those details are personal to Dearica, and she informed her leadership when she felt it was appropriate to do so,” Fox asserts.

Hamby, feeling betrayed and violated by leadership’s decision-making and communication, chose social media to expose what happened and to vent and criticize. Whether that was the wisest choice can be debated because of what Fox says is the unknown.

“I am unsure of what other means Dearica used prior to social media to express her frustrations, but I believe that in using her platform she was not only justified but also struck a chord with women throughout the world who, despite laws protecting them, know that while they are protected they can still be alienated, harassed and discriminated against,” she says.

“Similar to what we have seen throughout sports regarding pay disparity, there are many similar issues when it comes to having to choose between motherhood and career, even if you aren't a professional athlete.”

The organization did what it thought was best. Hamby disagreed. The communication behavior between the two parties went off the rails.

How the organizational discontent and eventual decision to end the relationship was communicated likely played a role in the intensity of the pain Hamby experienced and is still experiencing and the conflict becoming public, where Aces leadership ended up being shamed.

Fox says if she were advising the parties, she would have had a different strategy.

“The first thing I would do is get a clear understanding of how the incident actually occurred. I would advise the Aces organization to not act immediately but instead to look through their policies and determine the best way to support their long-time athlete while also ensuring they do not have a gap in their roster that could affect performance,” she states.

This ongoing conflict could have been a dispute, that if not prevented, then thoughtfully, respectfully and successfully deescalated to where it wouldn’t be an entrenched conflict. Fox says, that after the first step she mentions above, the next step would be assistance to lead the conversation.

“Once they have a plan in motion, it's important for them to work with a communications specialist that can assist in determining the best way to communicate any changes to Hamby's status.”