Dearica Hamby pinpoints key area of growth for offseason
09/07/2024 09:04 PM
Amid a roster chock full of young players, a combination of rookies and second and third year players, the Los Angeles Sparks have leaned heavily on their veterans to help keep them together and connected. One of the vets the Sparks have looked towards as a leader this season has been Dearica Hamby.
Following the Sparks' home loss on Sept. 1 to the Atlanta Dream, head coach Curt Miller remarked how he's asked Hamby and Azurá Stevens, two of the players on the roster with championship experience, to really be the team leaders in the locker room.
For Hamby, it's been a bit of a new role for her since joining the Sparks via trade last season. With some of last season's leaders in Nneka Ogwumike and Jordin Canada departing in free agency, a lot of that has fallen on Hamby. Following the Sparks' loss to the Sky on Friday, Hamby spoke about growing into that role and what she still needs to do.
"He [Curt Miller] wants me to give halftime speeches, and that's just something I'm trying to find in my leadership because it's not instinctual to me. I don't discipline my kinds like that," Hamby said. "It's a learning curve that I'm going to have to find in the offseason to bring back to this team. I just try to reemphasize the things we are doing well and then I'll talk about what we aren't doing well."
The Sparks may have been eliminated from playoff contention after the loss to the Sky, but Hamby continues to be a force on the court. In that game, she finished with a team high 21 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Dearica Hamby's All-Star season for the Sparks continues
Amid Hamby's continued development as a leader for the Sparks, she's been enjoying the best season of her career individually. She was named to her third All-Star selection, but over All-Star Weekend she mentioned that this particular one was the most rewarding for her.
Hamby is in her 10th season in the WNBA and should be in the running for the league's Most Improved Player Award. She's started all 34 games for the Sparks at a little over 33 minutes per game. She's been averaging 17.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals with splits of 51 percent shooting from the field, 34.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 60.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Her points, rebounds and assists are all career highs. Hamby has become a full-time starter with the Sparks as opposed to the reserve role she played for the Las Vegas Aces. With the Aces, Hamby won a championship in 2022 and won back-to-back Sixth Player of the Year Awards in 2019 and 2020.
She was acquired by the Sparks in a trade with the Aces in the 2023 offseason. Even coming off the birth of her second child last year, Hamby played in all 40 games for the Sparks. Back in June, Hamby signed a contract extension with the organization that will carry her through the 2025 season.
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