A racist text message shared publicly by Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby has led to the termination of the employee who allegedly sent it, according to USA Today.
The controversy began on the morning of Aug. The message targeted the WNBA forward with a racial slur and compared her to an animal. 24, when the 32-year-old Sparks star posted a screenshot of a text she said came from an unknown number.
In a statement posted on social media, the company said “it condemns racism, harassment, hate speech and discriminating behavior in all forms” and stressed that the employee’s online comments “do not in any way reflect the values and standards of the Company. Hamby also included the sender’s phone number in the screenshot while asking her nearly 50,000 followers on X: “Anyone know this number?”
Hamby is the latest WNBA player to publicly address racist abuse or threats as players continue to face harassment away from the court. The league has faced further scrutiny over online abuse following several high-profile incidents involving its players.
After Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas was suspended for one game in June for striking Caitlin Clark in the throat, Thomas said she had also been subjected to death threats and racist messages online.
