The WNBA suspended Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon Tuesday for two games for making comments about her pregnancy to All-Star forward Dearika Humby, but the players union said the suspension wasn’t enough.
A few months after the Aces won and the Humvees signed a contract extension, the Aces traded the Humvees to the Los Angeles Sparks in January. at the time, In an Instagram post, Humby wrote: An anonymous person made an “offensive comment.” She was falsely accused of signing her contract extension even though she knew she was pregnant, and she was told she was being traded because she was “not ready, I need a body.” she said.
She said her contribution to the team was also called into question, even though she was “uncomfortable walking” during her pregnancy and forced herself to train. Humvee won the league’s sixth Woman of the Year award in 2019 and 2020, and she was named to the All-Star team for the second time last season.
“I am traumatized by the unprofessional and unethical treatment of me,” Ms. Hamby wrote in January, citing particularly bad treatment from women who are mothers and preach “family, compatibility and female empowerment.” I added that I was disappointed.
Humvee, 29, has announced the birth of his son. Legend, March. She also has a six-year-old daughter, Amaya.
The WNBA did not provide details of what Hammon said to Hamby, but said Hammon’s remarks violated the WNBA’s policy on respect in the workplace. The league also announced that Ace would lose a first-round pick in the 2025 draft after promising unspecified and unlicensed benefits to Humvee during contract negotiations.
On Tuesday, the WNBA Players Association said the suspension was “far from appropriate.”
“Where in this decision will this team, or any other team in the league, learn the lesson that respect in the workplace is the highest standard and player dignity cannot be manipulated?” the union said.
In May 2021, then-Connecticut Sun coach Kurt Miller was fined $10,000 and suspended one game for making body-shaming remarks about center Liz Campage’s weight. . Miller is currently coaching the Sparks.
Hammon’s two-game suspension is unpaid, but the league has not announced a fine.
Following Humvee’s Instagram post on January 21, the association had called for an investigation, but on February 8, Ace said in a statement that the league had launched a formal investigation and that the team would cooperate.
Hammon, 46, has played 16 seasons in the WNBA and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year during his first season with the Aces. She spent eight seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first woman in NBA history to become a full-time assistant. She was often rumored to be considering a job as head coach of the men’s league.ace owner Mark Davis advertised her hiring The team will pay her over $1 million, more than any other coach in the league.
In recent years, there has been a significant movement by players, fans and league officials calling for more investment in the WNBA. The league’s latest collective bargaining agreement, signed in 2020, included new or increased maternity-related benefits, including full payments. maternity leave pay, more housing, $5,000 child care benefits, adoption and fertility benefits, and more.