Sparks Star Dearica Hamby Shares 'Hard' Part of WNBA Expansion Draft for Players
The Golden State Valkyries WNBA Expansion Draft is taking place on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Regardless of who the Valkyries select to be part of their roster, this is sure to be an emotional day for many players in the league, regardless of whether they were picked by Golden State or protected by their own team.
Because all 12 current WNBA franchises are (potentially) going to lose one player to the Valkyries, each club could be experiencing a lost teammate from last season's team, which is never an easy burden to bear.
These players have surely spent hundreds of hours with their (about to be) former teammates and could have built tight-knit bonds with them, as well.
And making the matter even more emotional is the fact that, as Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby revealed on Friday, players won't know what's about to happen either.
"It’s a big day in our league today… while exciting, can be hard for players as everyone is finding out in real time… and probably will be different emotions to process. Please keep that into consideration.. 💕💕," Hamby wrote on X Friday morning.
It’s a big day in our league today… while exciting, can be hard for players as everyone is finding out in real time… and probably will be different emotions to process. Please keep that into consideration.. 💕💕
— Dearica Marie Hamby (@dearicamarie) December 6, 2024
Fans are blown away by the fact that everybody — players and fans both — is finding out in real time. While it's unclear whether the players who the Valkyries are selecting know in advance or not (Hamby will surely be protected by Los Angeles), the unexpected nature of the whole affair is still jarring.
Regardless of whether they were told in advance or not, everybody is about to find out who the Valkyries selected in less than an hour.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.