(East Los Angeles, CA)[From The Editor’s Desk]: The start of the 2023 WNBA season is looming very large in the bigger picture of our Los Angeles Sparks, as they continue to bolster their team with some very high-caliber players, and in this case, it’s the highly skilled 6-3 front-line power forward, the former Las Vegas Ace, and World Champion, Dearica Hamby.

No doubt new Head Coach, Curt Miller wants to give WNBA All-Star, Nneka Ogwumike some timely and much-needed reinforcements in the Sparks front line and assure that more points and rebounds will come from Hamby, thus taking a good deal of pressure off Ogwumike. This is great news for Sparks fans, the coaching staff, and the WNBA.

Read all the details in the Team’s recent press announcement.

Sparks Acquire WNBA Champion Dearica Hamby

Los Angeles also Receives a 2024 First Round Pick from Las Vegas

Sparks Send Rights to Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 Second Round Pick to the Aces

LOS ANGELES (January 21, 2023) – The Los Angeles Sparks recently announced their acquisition of WNBA Champion and two-time WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby in addition to the Aces 2024 first round pick in exchange for the exclusive negotiating rights to Amanda Zahui B. and the Sparks 2024 second round pick.

Hamby, an eight-year veteran, holds career averages of 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 242 career games (85 starts) with the San Antonio Stars/Las Vegas Aces. The Wake Forest graduate was drafted sixth overall by the Stars in the 2015 WNBA Draft after setting school records for both points (1,801) and rebounds (1,021).

“Adding Dearica to our roster plus a future first round pick was a solid move for us,” said Sparks CAO & GM Karen Bryant. “We’re excited to have another key piece in place as we start free agency.”

The 6-3 forward played in 40 games (32 starts) during the 2022 season, including appearing in six playoff games as the Aces went on to win the 2022 WNBA Championship. Hamby was voted a WNBA All-Star in two straight seasons after averaging 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 2021 and 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds (ranking 11th in the league) and 1.1 assists in 2022. Along with being a two-time WNBA All-Star, Hamby was named WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Zahui B. holds career averages of 6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 197 career games with Tulsa, New York and Los Angeles. In her one season for the Sparks, she played in 30 games (27 starts) averaging 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 23.8 minutes per game.