The signing of a new $2.2 billion media rights deal with the WNBA in July was a watershed moment for the league. The players now have a choice to either continue with the current collective bargaining agreement or opt out of it collectively. While there is still indecisiveness over what would the players choose, there is one athlete who is extremely clear on her plans. The Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby shared her take on the players’ safety in the WNBA and how laws need to be renegotiated if the new CBA is enacted, amid her lawsuit against the Las Vegas Aces.

Hamby was present in a podcast with Khristina Williams on Friday when she spoke out about this particular issue. After her pregnancy fiasco with the Las Vegas Aces, Hamby was candid in sharing the harsh WNBA reality and opining that players’ protection needed to be taken care of while inking a new CBA.

“You know, we have done a good job each CBA adding more benefits in their space. I know the next CBA they are going to do the same thing. That’s what this league is about. Like, being progressive. But, I think overall, in general, there needs to be better protection for players that wanna speak up for the things that are happening to them behind closed doors. You don’t want a player to feel like that. Like, they’re gonna lose their job if they gonna go and report like XYZ is happening. So I think that should probably be a bit focal point in the next CBA,” Hamby stated via In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams.

Hamby started playing for the Aces when she was drafted as the sixth overall pick in the 2015 season. Over the years, she went on to become a mainstay for the Aces winning the Championship title in 2022. But, despite her accomplishments, Hamby had to face a tough time at the hands of the Aces when she opened up about her pregnancy. As per Hamby, the team “began to retaliate against me and caused the work environment to become unreasonably abusive and hostile.”

She also filed an EEOC complaint regarding her “discrimination” and followed that up with a complaint against the Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon and the franchise in October. However, as per her, the complaint wasn’t looked into well, and therefore, Hamby had to file another complaint with the federal court of Nevada this time against the Aces and the WNBA for not properly looking into her issue. But, whether the CBA will be renegotiated or not is still something that remains to be seen.

When can the CBA be negotiated to provide relief to Dearica Hamby?

When the Vice President for the union and the New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart was questioned about the union’s decision in July, the 29-year-old opined that “we (need to) make a united decision, but also listen to the pros and the cons both ways.” She expressed that the main reason has been the changes that have been done this year, especially the media rights agreement.

The league’s CBA is set to expire in 2027 and if the players’ union or the league decides to opt out before 1 November this year, then the CBA will last till Oct. 31, 2025. This will give ample amount of time for all the parties involved to chart a new CBA and negotiate the deals.

Whether the new CBA will happen or not, one thing is sure, Hamby will be looking to make considerable changes regarding players’ safety. She wouldn’t want any of the W stars losing their job because of speaking out against any franchise in the future.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.