Sports
Sparks’ Dearica Hamby utilizes strong mentality to thrive in L.A. and inspire teammates
Dearica Hamby watched as her shot from the free-throw line fell perfectly through the hoop during warmups Wednesday. Swoosh. Her next one missed the basket, but her expression didn’t change.
Learn and move on. It’s a familiar sentiment for the Sparks.
After being traded by Las Vegas during her pregnancy in January 2023 — a move she contested and labeled discrimination, leading to a two-game suspension of Aces coach Becky Hammon — Hamby is having a hard-earned moment in her second season in Los Angeles. Nine games into this season, the two-time All-Star entered Sunday’s matchup with the Aces averaging 36.3 minutes, 20.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals — all ranking in the top 10 in the WNBA.
“I’ve learned a lot and been through a lot on and off the floor, so I just have a different mind-set coming in,” said Hamby, a 10-year veteran who won a title with the Aces in 2022. “My confidence is really high coming off of the kinds of things I’ve done in the offseason to better myself. My teammates and coaching staff believe in me.”
It’s a belief that is welcomed after a turbulent exit from Las Vegas. Hamby, who was the sixth player of the year in 2019 and 2020 before developing into an All-Star in 2021 and 2022, announced at the Aces’ championship parade that she was expecting her second child, and her pregnancy appeared to create a rift between her and the organization.
In a statement on Instagram on the day the trade was announced, Hamby wrote she was “heartbroken” about the way her tenure in Las Vegas ended, accusing the Aces of bullying, manipulation and discrimination.
After months of investigation, Hammon was suspended without pay for comments she allegedly made to Hamby about her pregnancy that violated league and team respect-in-the-workplace policies. Hamby, who gave birth to her son Legend in March 2023, went on to play all 40 games for the Sparks last season, starting 19, while averaging 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds.
This season, as a veteran leader on a rebuilding team, the 6-foot-3 forward has been a staple of the starting lineup and putting up career-best numbers.
“[Hamby] has been excellent out of the gate,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “A full season out of her pregnancy she’s playing really determined, confident basketball and she’s just playing really great. Can’t say enough good things about her. She came in with a chip that she was going to take it to another level and it’s been great to see her back.”
While it’s still early in the season, teammates already say Hamby should be in the conversation for most valuable player. According to first-round picks Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink, the WNBA champion Hamby’s hard work at practice is an example they look to every day.
“Her relentlessness has contributed to her stellar season,” Jackson said. “Coming from the Aces, I feel like she comes in with a chip on her shoulder to prove everyone wrong and show the type of player she really is. She wants to make her teammates proud. She’s been working so hard and you can see that. She’s a person I look up to so much and she’s always there for me. I’m proud of the season she’s had and she truly deserves it.”
Hamby has used her experience to guide the younger players through professional life both on and off the court. She’s a source of advice and a player who leads by example.
“I do my best, as a mom, to check in on them and see how they are doing and see if I can help in any way,” Hamby said. “They are being very transparent on their end so I appreciate it. I also try to be tough out there to show the way. I’m not perfect, but I try to compete and try as hard as I can. Do the little things, have a tough mentality and hopefully they follow.”
Hamby is part of a young Sparks team that has struggled to find its groove because of a lack of offensive consistency. Off the court they have great chemistry, but on the court it still is developing.
Even so, Miller is confident that game experience will help the team succeed together.
“A lot of new people are learning our system, but we have really good people and that’s the most important part,” Miller said. “[Hamby] is leading in her role certainly from the post position. The confidence of what it takes in this league to be successful and she’s leading by example. She’s teaching our young players how hard it is to win in this league.”
While she dreams of another championship, Hamby realizes it could take time. For now she’s focused on taking it week by week and helping her team win. It has been a strong start for the veteran, and the most important thing is continuing the momentum.
“I just want to win, first and foremost, and I feel like if I play the way I am, that will turn at some point.” Hamby said. “We still need to clean up the turnovers. It’s still been a month, still a new group, a young group, learning new roles. There’s things to be happy about but also things to improve on.”
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An internet rumor swirled last week that a longtime NFL reporter had died at the age of 40.
News of Jane Slater’s supposed death on social media, but she was quick to shut it down.
An X user posted a screenshot of a post on Facebook that showed Slater in black and white with the graphic “1980-2025” saying she had died at 40. Slater, 45, was born in 1980, but the years written in the post would mean she died at either age 44 or 45.
NFL Network sideline reporter Jane Slater stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field on Dec. 26, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
“A veteran reporter who covered the Dallas Cowboys—having followed the team for over a decade—has passed away at the age of 40 after a tragic domestic violence incident, leaving behind a 5-year-old child. Her years of dedicated work, along with the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding her death, have left loyal fans stunned, devastated, and praying for her and her family,” the post read.
The user asked Slater, “did you pass away??”
Jane Slater speaks with T.Y. Hilton of the Dallas Cowboys after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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“I don’t think so? But does this mean there is (a) glitch in the matrix? I’m gonna wrap myself in bubble wrap until NYE,” Slater joked.
If there is one thing the Facebook post got correct, it’s that Slater does mainly cover the Cowboys for the NFL Network.
NFL Network reporter Jane Slater on the sideline prior to an NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Prior to joining in 2016, Slater worked for ESPN and the Longhorn Network, having attended the University of Texas. She also hosted a radio show in Dallas.
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Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.
An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”
The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.
An email for comment to representatives for Williams and Preti, 37, was not immediately returned.
The couple met at 2024 Milan Fashion Week and began texting shortly after, according to Vogue.
The couple eventually became engaged on Jan. 31 in Tuscany, according to Vogue. That detail was confirmed in July during what was a historic month for Williams.
The Compton native defeated 23-year-old Peyton Sterns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round action of the D.C. Open after a 16-month hiatus from singles matches.
In victory, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, trailing only fellow legend Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won in 2004.
“Yes, my fiance is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,” Williams told the Tennis Channel’s Rennae Stubbs in a post-match interview. “There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. … He encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful [for him] to be here. He’s never seen me play.”
Preti has written, acted and directed in a handful of films, primarily in Italy.
The wedding was the second for the couple, who also held a ceremony in Italy in September.
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As Philip Rivers has shown he could still tear up the NFL at age 44, American Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn has also proven that age is just a number.
Vonn, 41, qualified for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, Team USA announced on Tuesday. It will be the fifth Winter Olympics that she competes in.
United States’ Lindsey Vonn reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)
Vonn had an impressive run at the World Cup in France over the weekend. She was third in super-G, hitting a high speed of 71 mph. It was her second consecutive podium finish after she was third in downhill. It was the 142nd podium finish in her World Cup career.
“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me. Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.
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United States’ Lindsey Vonn celebrates on the podium after taking third place in an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)
“I am grateful for how the season has gone so far, but I am just getting started. See you in Cortina!”
Vonn has already put together an enviable career in skiing.
She won a gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Games and two bronze medals in Pyeongchang in 2018. She’s also taken home two gold, three silver and two bronze medals in the World Championships.
The Minnesota native also has 83 World Cup wins and several International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Crystal Globes.
Notably, she’s back competing for gold after being away from the sport for five years.
Austria’s Cornelia Huetter, left, winner of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Germany’s Kira Weidle Winkelmann, left, and third-placed United States’ Lindsey Vonn, in Val D’Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)
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The Winter Olympics will begin on Feb. 6 and run through Feb. 22.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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