Dearica Hamby

Dearica Hamby attended Marietta High School and Norcross High School in Georgia. She was also a softball player before focusing on basketball. At Norcross, she helped the team win a 5A state title in 2011.

Hamby played college basketball at Wake Forest University from 2011 to 2015. Over four seasons, she became the most productive player in program history by finishing as Wake Forest’s all-time leader in points and rebounds. She recorded 1,801 points, 1,021 rebounds, 44 double-doubles, and ranked near the top of several Wake Forest career categories, including field goal percentage, free throws, blocks, and games played.

Her junior season in 2013–14 was a major statistical year. Hamby averaged 22.0 points and 11.0 rebounds, becoming the first Wake Forest player to lead the ACC in both categories in the same season. She followed with another 20-point scoring season as a senior, averaging 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds. She was named First-team All-ACC in both 2014 and 2015.

In 2015, the San Antonio Stars selected Hamby sixth overall in the WNBA Draft. She played for the Stars before the franchise relocated and became the Las Vegas Aces in 2018. With Las Vegas, Hamby became one of the league’s strongest reserve forwards. In 2019, she averaged 11.0 points and 7.6 rebounds and won WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year. That same season, she made a long game-winning shot against the Chicago Sky in a single-elimination playoff game after stealing a pass in the final seconds.

Hamby won Sixth Woman of the Year again in 2020. She remained with the Aces through the 2022 season and was part of the franchise’s first WNBA championship team. In January 2023, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. With Los Angeles, her role expanded, and by 2024 and 2025 she was producing some of the strongest numbers of her WNBA career.

In 2024, Hamby became a WNBA All-Star for the third time and won the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. In 2025, she averaged a career-best 18.4 points per game on 57.2 percent shooting with the Sparks. She also joined Vinyl BC for the inaugural season of Unrivaled.

Dearica Hamby made her USA Basketball debut through national team activity in 2022. She was part of the 2022 USA World Cup Qualifying Team and averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as the United States went 2–0 against Belgium and Puerto Rico.

In 2023, Hamby moved into 3x3 competition with USA Basketball. She played for the USA Women’s 3x3 AmeriCup Team in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the United States won gold. Hamby led the team in scoring, rebounding, and key assists, hit the game-winning shot in the final against Brazil, and was named tournament MVP.

In 2024, Hamby was named to the United States 3x3 Olympic team as a replacement for Cameron Brink after Brink suffered an ACL injury. At the Paris Olympics, Hamby helped the United States win the bronze medal. She led the team in rebounds and ranked second on the team in scoring during the tournament.

In 2026, Hamby was listed as part of the USA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Team, helping the team to a 5–0 record while averaging 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

Dearica Hamby is an active forward for the Los Angeles Sparks and Vinyl BC. Her game is based on rebounding, transition play, physical finishing, defensive activity, and frontcourt versatility. In recent seasons, she has expanded from a reserve-energy role into a primary contributor with stronger scoring, rebounding, and playmaking responsibility.

Dearica Hamby was born and raised in Georgia. She is the daughter of Carla Hamby and Derrick Jones and has two sisters, Chelsie and Desaraye. She attended Marietta High School before transferring to Norcross High School, where she helped win a state title.

Hamby has two children, Amaya and Legend. Her daughter Amaya was born in February 2017, and she announced her second pregnancy during the Las Vegas Aces’ 2022 championship parade. Her son, Legend Maree Scandrick, was born in 2023.

Off the court, Hamby is known for her interest in sneakers and fashion. She has also signed with Jordan Brand.

Dearica Hamby’s legacy is still developing, but her career already includes major markers at the college, professional, and international levels. At Wake Forest, she remains one of the most important players in program history as the school’s all-time leader in points and rebounds.

In the WNBA, Hamby is associated with the rise of the Las Vegas Aces and their first championship. Her back-to-back Sixth Woman of the Year awards established her as one of the league’s leading reserve forwards before her later move into a larger role with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Her 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup MVP and 2024 Olympic bronze medal also place her among the American players who have contributed to the growth of 3x3 basketball.

Hamby was a two-time First-team All-ACC selection in 2014 and 2015 and received Associated Press All-America honorable mention in both seasons. She finished her Wake Forest career as the program’s all-time leader in scoring and rebounding and was selected for the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

In the WNBA, Hamby was selected sixth overall in the 2015 WNBA Draft. She won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award in 2019 and 2020, became a WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces in 2022, won the Commissioner’s Cup with Las Vegas in 2022, and was named a WNBA All-Star in 2021, 2022, and 2024. She also received the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2024.

Internationally, Hamby won gold at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup and was named tournament MVP. She won bronze with the United States 3x3 team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Dearica Marie Hamby is an American professional basketball player born on November 6, 1993, in Marietta, Georgia. A 6-foot-3 forward, she plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA and Vinyl BC in Unrivaled. Hamby was selected sixth overall by the San Antonio Stars in the 2015 WNBA Draft after a record-setting college career at Wake Forest University.

At Wake Forest, Hamby became the program’s all-time leader in points with 1,801 and rebounds with 1,021. She was a two-time First-team All-ACC selection and earned Associated Press All-America honorable mention in 2014 and 2015. Her junior season was one of the strongest in Wake Forest history, as she led the ACC in both scoring and rebounding.

Hamby began her WNBA career with the San Antonio Stars, which became the Las Vegas Aces in 2018. She developed into one of the league’s most productive reserve players and won WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, she won the WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces.

In 2023, Hamby was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. She expanded into a larger role and posted career-best production with Los Angeles, including a 2025 season in which she averaged 18.4 points per game. Internationally, she represented the United States in 3x3 basketball, winning gold at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup and bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.