LOS ANGELES — Sparks All-Star forward Dearica Hamby is not afraid to speak out.
Hamby, 32, shared a screen shot online of a racist text message, in which someone called her a racial slur and an animal, that she received on Monday from an unknown number from a purported WNBA fan. The unwanted text came after she was ejected from a game after a flagrant foul against Connecticut Sun rookie forward Raegan Beers on Aug. 22.
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“I’m just grateful that I’m in a position where I can speak out and call people out,” Hamby said after Thursday’s practice at Crypto.com Arena. “Not only speak up for myself but for other people because they don’t necessarily have the power to do that, and I think it was just a unique opportunity to throw that out there and to show what a lot of people are dealing with but athletes and us WNBA players specifically and people need to be held accountable. People shouldn’t be able to hide behind phones and treat people this way so I’m proud of myself and proud of the people on Twitter that did what they needed to do, as I figured it would happen that way.”
“It’s being handled,” Hamby continued. “The league has been supportive. Obviously, the Sparks have been supportive and the police.”
On Tuesday, USA Today reported that an employee of Rhode Island-based Acclaro Medical was “suspended while an investigation is being conducted.”
“I think losing your job is not enough,” Hamby added of the individual who allegedly sent the message. “You need to be in jail and he will be if you treat people like that.”
SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR
On the court, the Sparks still have something tangible to play for despite being eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth straight season. With six games remaining, they have the opportunity to win a season series against the playoff-bound Washington Mystics on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Sparks are 1-1 against Washington this season, winning 92-87 on the road on May 29 and losing 80-70 on the road on Aug. 15. Friday’s game, which concludes a four-game homestand, will be the final game against the Mystics this season.
“They’re a good team,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “They’re young. They score in the paint. Number one in paint scoring in the league. Number two offensive rebounding team. They just get after it inside, so we’ve got to do a good job protecting.”
The Sparks (13-25) have a record nearly the opposite of Washington’s (23-15), with the Mystics scheduled to play in Phoenix on Thursday night.
The Sparks, who are coming off a 78-71 home loss to Atlanta on Monday, have the unique opportunity to host a team that has already clinched one of the league’s eight playoff berths and will be playing on the second night of back-to-back games.
In fact, the top eight teams in the 15 team all secured their postseason spots by Tuesday night, nearly a month before the regular season ends on Sept. 24.
“It doesn’t change anything for me,” Roberts said. “Obviously we know we’re not going to the playoffs, which is disappointing, but it is what it is. Every time we put the jersey on, and I’m going to say it until the season is over, we want to compete to win. Washington is playing for seeding, we’re playing to play the right way and honor the jersey, so it doesn’t change anything for me.”
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Lynne Roberts on the Los Angeles Sparks’ new $150M headquarters and practice facility and trying to win the season series against the playoff-bound Washington Mystics Friday night. pic.twitter.com/DdidqJNV3Z
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 27, 2026
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Sparks guard Rae Burrell, the team’s third-leading scorer at 14.4 points per game, said the team’s new $150 million headquarters and practice facility in El Segundo, which is expected to open next spring, is definitely something that will make her want to re-sign with the team in the offseason when she’s a coveted restricted free agent.
“Any practice facility nice like that, for sure,” said Burrell, a former 2022 first-round draft pick, who told reporters it was therapeutic in college when was able to go into Tennessee’s practice facility as late as 9 p.m. to get extra shots up.
Players and coaches signed the final structural beam during Wednesday’s topping-out ceremony.
DEREK FISHER TALKS SPARKS
Former Sparks coach and general manager Derek Fisher reflected on his time with the organization earlier this week with the Southern California News Group.
“It’s just a blessing that basketball still always finds a way to bring you back,” Fisher said before serving as part of the play-by-play broadcast team on Peacock for Monday’s Atlanta at Sparks game. “Whether it’s boys basketball in high school, women’s basketball, it doesn’t matter. Getting the opportunity to be back in the building is always special, especially the day after Kobe’s (Bryant’s) birthday, so to somehow think about this aligning itself for me to be in the building the day after is pretty special as well. This place has been so good to me, I’m just glad to be back.”
Roberts briefly met with Fisher before Monday’s game.
“It was great,” Roberts said. “He was a good dude, cool guy, so it was fun to get a chance to meet with him. He was very friendly and supportive.”
Fisher, who coached the Sparks from 2019 to 2022, was the last Sparks coach to lead them to the playoffs in 2020 and the last coach to win a playoff game in 2019. The five-time NBA champion was also the Sparks’ general manager when the organization parted ways with him in June 2022, 12 games into the season.
“Sometimes you have to pivot, whether it’s the plan or not,” Fisher explained. “This year kind of turned into a year of pivot, trading Kelsey Plum, Nneka’s (retirement) announcement and so getting through this season as healthy as possible, especially for players like Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink, vital. And then everybody will get a chance to take a step back – staff, front office and just kind of decide what’s next.”
However, the former GM said delayed gratification is not easy in the L.A. sports market.
“Is it about the future?” Fisher continued. “Sounds good but in L.A. it’s hard to plan for the future because people want to see winning. When you’re in the moment, it’s hard to see everything you need to see so just making sure players are playing the game to win and playing the right way, that’s all the coaching staff can do. I’m sure that’s what Coach Roberts is going to ask them to do.”
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WASHINGTON (23-15) AT SPARKS (13-25)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: ION