11 facts to know about WNBA star Dearica Hamby

Dearica Hamby has never been your typical basketball star. She wasn’t brought up through the traditional AAU pipeline, didn’t start playing until high school, and still went on to be one of the most exciting players in the WNBA.

Hamby joined the league as the sixth overall pick with the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) in 2015. Since then, she's become a WNBA champion, All-Star, and two-time Sixth Woman of the Year, among other honors. “I just want to continue to be an energy player and continue to run the floor hard,” she shared during her rookie year.

Off the court, she’s also a mom, a style icon in her own right, and unquestionably a big-time sneakerhead. In celebration of her incredible career, here are 11 fun facts to know about Dearica Hamby.

1. She didn’t start playing basketball until high school

Hamby was a late bloomer, at least when it came to basketball. While a lot of WNBA stars were dribbling since grade school, she was out playing baseball and softball. “I wasn’t a big basketball player [or] fan growing up, so to say. I loved baseball,” she told Sue Bird on “Bird’s Eye View.”

2. She’s 6’3”

Like a lot of basketball stars, Hamby is very tall, though that wasn’t always the case. At 15, the forward was only 5’7.” “Then I hit a growth spurt,” she told the WNBA. “I grew about five inches. I heard, ‘You should play basketball! You’re tall!’ The coach asked me to try out, but it was bad. They just wanted me on the team because I was tall.”

3. She’s a mother

Off the court, Hamby’s world revolves around her kids. She welcomed her daughter, Amaya, in February 2017, and during the Las Vegas Aces’ championship parade, surprised fans by revealing she was expecting again. Fittingly, her son — born in May 2023 — was named Legend.

“During the season, my days are long, but being a WNBA player gives me time off outside of the season to focus on being a mom,” she shared with Willow. “I enjoy that my kids also get enjoyment out of watching me play and seeing Mom ‘do her job’ on the court, too.”

4. She started her WNBA career with the Stars

Hamby joined the San Antonio Stars in the franchise’s final years before their move to Las Vegas to become the Aces. She was the sixth overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft, and proved to be a damn good one.

5. Her viral half-court shot helped the Aces make it to the Playoff Semifinals

One of the most clutch moments in WNBA history came from Hamby in 2019, when her half-court bomb pushed the Las Vegas Aces into the Playoff Semifinals. With less than 10 seconds to play, she intercepted Courtney Vandersloot’s pass to Diamond DeShields and launched a three from 38 feet out. It was an impressive feat that could've very easily backfired, with Hamby even thinking it might get her traded to another team. Instead, it sealed a 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky.

6. She’s a huge sneakerhead

Similar to a lot of the league’s most stylish players, Hamby is a die-hard sneakerhead, so it’s no surprise she inked a multi-year deal with Jordan Brand. Fittingly, her very first pair of kicks were Jordan 10s, she told StockX. “If I’m not wearing sneakers, I’m probably barefoot,” Hamby admitted.

7. Her Olympic debut wasn’t the way she imagined it

Hamby was a little disappointed when she wasn’t originally picked to play on the U.S. 3x3 Olympic team. “I thought it was a no-brainer, but the committee is the committee,” she told AP News. Then, when Cameron Brink tore her ACL ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Hamby became the obvious replacement.

“When she got the news she made it, and I got the news I didn’t originally, we cried together,” she recalled. “I’m sure if she wanted to have anybody replace her, she’d want it to be me.”

8. She won Sixth Woman of the Year back-to-back

Winning Sixth Woman of the Year is impressive enough, but winning it back-to-back is a whole different level. Before Hamby, only DeWanna Bonner and Allie Quigley managed to pull it off. As she put it, “You have to mostly be selfless and about the greater good of the team.”

9. She was born and raised in Georgia

Hamby’s favorite away game destination is Atlanta, and it’s personal. Born in Marietta, Georgia — one of the largest cities in the Atlanta metro area — she loves the chance to hoop close to home. “I’m from Atlanta, so it’s a good opportunity to play in front of my family,” she said while getting her nails done with Whistle’s Casey Rieger.

10. She won her first WNBA championship with the Aces

Hamby didn’t get to be part of the Aces’ second title in their back-to-back run, but she was there for the franchise’s very first in 2022. “We don't win the ring without [Dearica],” A’ja Wilson told ESPN. “So, it's very great she could have that moment and share it with her two children and her mom, and her sister there.”

11. Angel Reese was one of her defensive inspirations

Angel Reese might be newer to the league than Hamby, but the Chi-Town Barbie is pushing her peers to go harder. “Angel kind of inspired me a little bit,” Hamby said on Cameron Brink and Sydel Curry-Lee’s “Straight to Cam.” She added, “If your team’s offense is a low-post, Angel’s down there a lot, so she’s able to [dominate in the paint].”