Dearica Hamby is processing a lot of emotions: excitement, anger, sadness, fear.

Excitement for her future with the Los Angeles Sparks, anger at the way she was treated by her former team, sadness at having to leave the city and teammates she loves, and fear for the health of her unborn son.

On Wednesday, the 29-year-old spoke to the media for the first time since she was traded and shared her grievances with the Aces in a statement on her Instagram account.

In the post, Hamby claimed she was “lied to, bullied, manipulated and discriminated against” by the Aces organization, and that they were trading her because of her pregnancy.

Hamby was dealt to L.A. on Jan. 21 along with a 2024 first-round pick in exchange for “exclusive negotiating rights” to Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 second-round pick. The WNBA Players Association announced that it would investigate Hamby’s claims in accordance with the league’s 2020 collective bargaining agreement as well as federal and state laws.

“I’m excited now,” Hamby said of playing in L.A. “Initially there was a lot of sadness, and I was very transparent about the way I was feeling when I spoke to KB (Karen Bryant) and Curt (Miller). It was a little bit up and down, a little triggering at times, but moving forward on the basketball side of things with the Sparks and I’m looking forward to it.”

Hamby didn’t seem to have much ownership over the situation — she said the Sparks were the only team she talked to when the Aces expressed their desire to trade her — but she says she felt instantly supported by the Sparks organization.

“They just kind of wrapped their arms around me,” she said. “During that moment, I was very emotional. I was crying on the phone and I think KB was about to cry on the phone, but I kind of fell in love with that.”

As Hamby comes to terms with leaving Las Vegas, the franchise that drafted her in 2015 when it was still the San Antonio Stars, her main concern is her health. The soon-to-be mother of two says her blood pressure was “through the roof” a few weeks ago.

“I’m dealing with the waves of emotions,” she said. “But I’m trying to remind myself to not be too stressed out. Just trying to remain calm for him (her son), and just make sure he gets here. Then I will deal with the aftermath.”

Hamby announced she was pregnant with a son she plans to name Legend during the Aces championship parade in September. She also has a daughter, 5-year-old Amaya, who was heavily featured in Aces promotional material during her time with the organization.

During the press conference on Wednesday, Hamby addressed her status as a well-known mother in the league and how that influenced her decision to make a public statement about the way the Aces treated her during the trade.

“My relationship with my daughter has been broadcasted, it has been shown to the public,” she said. “So if that can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. I am confident that the people, the person that said these things, did these things will be held accountable.”

Hamby went on to say that she will let the WNBAPA investigation happen before she decides whether to take any legal action of her own.

The two-time Sixth Player of the Year said leaving the Aces is “a hurtful situation,” but that she’s thankful for the fans who have supported her and hopes they will continue to support her former teammates. Two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker cited her own family in her decision to sign with the Aces in free agency this week.

“I know that they are feeling the pain just as much as I am,” she said of Las Vegas fans. “But don’t take it out on the girls. It’s not Candace’s fault, it’s not A’ja or Chelsea’s fault, so continue to support them.

“I’m going to miss them. I know that when I come back to play in Vegas, I will probably cry. It will be a very pivotal moment in my life, but I’m looking forward to meeting the new fans in L.A.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."