Alexa Philippou
Multiple Authors
Three-time WNBA All-Star forward Dearica Hamby is finalizing a multiyear deal to return to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
Hamby announced that she was returning to the organization in a social media post earlier in the day.
The 6-foot-3 Hamby has spent the past three seasons in Los Angeles, last year recording career highs in points per game (18.4) and field goal percentage (57.2%), while also averaging 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals.
Her return ensures the Sparks, who last made the playoffs in 2020, are looking to re-establish their status as a contender. In addition to bringing back Hamby, they acquired Nneka Ogwumike in free agency and have cored Kelsey Plum.
Hamby was previously named Sixth Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020 while playing for the Las Vegas Aces, with whom she won a championship in 2022. She was initially drafted by the franchise, then the San Antonio Stars, in sixth overall in 2015 out of Wake Forest.
Hamby filed a lawsuit against the Aces in August 2024 alleging that she was traded to the Sparks in January 2023 because of her pregnancy. In December, Hamby and the team mutually agreed to drop the lawsuit.
Hamby is also an Olympic bronze medalist with Team USA in 3×3 basketball from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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