Becky Hammon bullied a player for being pregnant.
That’s the conclusion the WNBA reached as it announced Tuesday the Las Vegas Aces head coach has been suspended for two games without pay after a monthlong probe by the league.
Former Aces player Dearica Hamby alleged that Hammon bullied and manipulated her for being pregnant.
The WNBA said that Hammon, the former New York Liberty All-Star, was found to have violated league and team workplace policy with her comments to Hamby.
“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 announcing the two-game ban.
The Aces were also docked a 2025 first-round draft pick for violating WNBA rules regarding impermissible player benefits related to Hamby.
Hamby, 29, an All-Star the last two seasons in Las Vegas was traded to the L.A. Sparks on Jan. 21, 2023.
After the trade, Hamby took to Instagram: “Being traded is a part of the business. Being lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against is not.”
The players’ union said the WNBA punishment handed out “misses the mark.”
“Where in this decision does this team or any other team across the league learn the lesson that respect in the workplace is the highest standard and a player’s dignity cannot be manipulated?”
Hammon, who spent eight seasons as an assistant coach for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2022 after the first-year head coach led the Aves to a 26-10 record and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs. The Aces claimed the title over the Connecticut Sun in four games.
“Las Vegas sees me as a head coach now,” Hammon, long discussed as a potential NBA head coaching candidate, told the AP in January 2022. “The WNBA has called every year with job openings. … I’ve always said ‘thank you I’m very flattered,’ but stayed on this path. This was first time where I was like I’ll listen.”
The Aces open the new WNBA campaign on Saturday on the road against the Seattle Storm. Las Vegas then plays Hamby’s Sparks in Game 2 on Thursday, May 25.