Las Vegas Aces Fans Boo Sparks Star Dearica Hamby In Wake of Lawsuit
Dearica Hamby hit an early three for the Los Angeles Sparks that was followed by a chorus of boos from the Las Vegas Aces fans in attendance at Michelob Ultra Arena.
It is not necessarily unusual for fans to jeer an opposing player, however, reportedly Hamby was booed every time she touched the ball. Which is notable given she recently filed a high profile lawsuit against her former team.
Hamby, who won a championship with the Aces in 2022, was traded to the Sparks in early 2023. She alleges that deal happened because she told the team she was pregnant and accused the Aces of other retaliatory actions around her pregnancy.
Those allegations include the suit saying Aces coach Becky Hammon questioned Hamby's dedication and commitment, that she was told she must vacate team provided housing, and that the franchise attempted to wrongfully obtain her medical records after she was no longer a member of the team.
Hammon was suspended for two games and Las Vegas lost a first round pick following a previous WNBA investigation made into claims by Hamby.
So it was only natural that many fans were a bit taken aback by the treatment of the now Sparks star during the contest against the Aces.
Obviously the legal matter is serious and sensitive. And all parties deserve the grace of allowing the facts to emerge from the case.
But one would think the crowd at the Aces game would have showed similar grace to Hamby, not only for what she did to help the team in the past, but also given the gravity of her allegations.