The WNBA has taken disciplinary action against the Las Vegas Aces and coach Becky Hammon after an investigation revealed violations of league rules. The team has been stripped of its 2025 first-round draft pick, and Hammon has been suspended for two games without pay. The violations involve impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.
The league’s investigation entered around former player Dearica Hamby’s contract negotiations. The Respect in the Workplace violation relates to comments made by Hammon to Hamby regarding her pregnancy.
Hamby, who has since been traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, publicly voiced her allegations against her former team via an Instagram post earlier this year. She accused the organization of treating her in an unprofessional and unethical manner during her pregnancy. However, she did not initially specify which individual within the organization made disparaging comments.
In response to the allegations, the WNBA and the player’s association launched an investigation into Hamby’s claims, as well as additional allegations of salary cap circumvention. However, the league stated that none of the other allegations were substantiated during the investigation process.
The investigation conducted by the WNBA involved interviews with 33 individuals and a thorough review of various forms of communication, including texts, emails, and documents.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity and fairness within the league in a statement. She expressed disappointment in the Aces’ failure to comply with league rules and regulations and noted the violation of the Respect in the Workplace policies. Engelbert also reaffirmed the league’s commitment to conducting enhanced training and enforcing standards across all WNBA teams.
While the league now considers the issue resolved, the player’s association believes that the punishment “misses the mark”. This is the first time in which the WNBA has stripped a team of a draft pick for off court violations in league history.
Photo: Danny Karwoski. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.