Isn’t it a shame when a successful career is simplified to but one great moment?
For Dearica Hamby, her new California family offers a new lifetime’s worth of them.
When Los Angeles acquired Hamby in what appeared to be a swindle of a trade Saturday, one’s first thought from the Sparks’ perspective was what a positive occurrence!
Horrifically, moments later, Hamby alleged that not all was as it seemed outside Las Vegas. On her Instagram account, Hamby made a lengthy allegation of serious wrongdoing from the Aces. Hamby alleges that she was “bullied, manipulated and discriminated against” by Vegas while pregnant. The WNBA Player’s Association quickly promised an investigation.
WNBPA Statement pic.twitter.com/JDVtmNgzkU
— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) January 21, 2023
Per the Washington Post, there has been no comment from the WNBA or Las Vegas. Too often, the river of justice feels more like a trickle. It may be too long until the whole truth of Hamby’s outrage against the Aces emerges in the light of righteousness.
Thankfully, there is one fact with no dispute from any party. Hamby and the Sparks have expressed unequivocal joy about her arrival with the most incredible women’s sports dynasty in California history.
So Much More Than One Moment
In Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury wrote eloquently about the danger of not just sheer censorship but also the callousness of a human heart against the accomplishments of others.
Bradbury observed that successes are often dumbed down into only a headline or a frighteningly fleeting mention. For a 1953 book, that’s quite the anticipation of three-second Twitter highlights!
All the more shame, then, that when surveying Hamby’s successes, many mention only her magnificent game-winning halfcourt shot.
Usually, the word “but” is a mean-spirited diminishment of an achievement immediately followed by a dismissal. Here, WNBA Lead uses that word differently. The Hamby Hoop sparked her and the Aces to remarkable successes.
But there is so much more to Hamby than one successful play!
The WNBA named Hamby Sixth Woman of the Year earlier that day, an accomplishment she duplicated in the 2020 “Wubble” sequestered season in Bradenton. Her star of a soul brightened after the challenging lockdown season as she earned All-Star nods in 2021 and 2022.
Although the Aces won the 2022 championship, Hamby recently reminded us that mental health is so much more important than wins and losses. Fortuitous, then, that she’s found such a welcoming home on the west coast.
A Fire That None Can Tame
The Sparks released a standard welcome Tweet after the trade. Look carefully, however.
https://twitter.com/LASparks/status/1616841940309520384
2X best Mom ever? Note, properly, that no one is racing to the courthouse to dispute this fact. Hamby’s public response, hardly an hour later, produced even larger smiles from the Sparks family.
https://twitter.com/dearicamarie/status/1616864437138501632
That’s the beauty of the human soul. A woman can face hardships that go beyond any fan’s reckoning. But if she refuses to quit and finds a place where her growing family is cherished, the fire in her soul — which was never extinguished to begin with — will blast again even more brightly.
Never Concluded
Isn’t it great when at the end of a delightful book, two words conclude the tome? “The end.” That’s not the way it works in real life, of course. Humans have happy days, sad days, and sometimes, inexpressible sadness.
But.
But sometimes, the first sentence of the next chapter offers hope of a satisfying sequel. In the Sparks’ official press release, General Manager Karen Bryant understated the opportunity for Hamby and Los Angeles. “We’re excited to have another key piece,” Bryant said, “in place as we start free agency.”
Hamby offers much more than Bryant’s kind note about a key piece. With a new home in the magical Los Angeles basketball queendom, Hamby has the key to unleashing her soul’s latent joy and setting the court afire once more.
