The WNBA rescinded the Las Vegas Aces' 2025 first-round draft pick and suspended head coach Becky Hammon for two games after an investigation found the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies, ESPN reported.
The team violation entailed promises of impermissible benefits during contract extension negotiations for former Aces player Dearica Hamby. The Respect in the Workplace violation stemmed from comments Hammon made to Hamby regarding the latter's pregnancy.
In a statement, the team said, in part, "Our actions have always been consistent with our responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest professional standards, and the facts we presented were consistent with these standards. … The WNBA's determinations about Becky Hammon are inconsistent with what we know and love about her."
Hamby, who was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in the off-season, took her allegations public, alleging in an Instagram post that her former organization treated her in an "unprofessional and unethical way that ... has been traumatizing" due to her pregnancy.
The Aces, which recently acquired Candace Parker from the Chicago Sky, are the defending WNBA champions.
