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Man gets fired over racist message to WNBA star Dearica Hamby
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- Man gets fired over racist message to WNBA star Dearica Hamby
Dearica Hamby
A man who is said to have sent a racist text message to WNBA star Dearica Hamby has been fired by his employer.
Acclaro Medical, a medical device company based in Rhode Island, told USA Today that the employee is no longer with the company after allegedly sending the Sparks star a text in which he called her the n-word and used a monkey emoji.
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Hamby, 32, posted a screenshot of the message to X on Aug. 24 and asked, "anyone know this number?"
Dearica Hamby posted a screenshot of a text message someone sent her on Aug. 24, asking if anyone knew the phone number. @dearicamarie/X
Social media users identified the man based off the phone number that was visible in the screenshot, which has more than 9.6 million views.
Acclaro Medical had previously suspended the employee pending an investigation and said in a statement that the company "condemns racism, harassment, hate speech and discriminating behavior in all forms."
The WNBA said in a statement to USA Today that the league "stands unequivocally with Dearica Hamby and condemns the racist abuse directed at her in the strongest possible terms. We are committed to holding anyone who engages in such abhorrent behavior accountable, and this individual will be permanently banned from all league games and events."
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The shared screenshot came roughly two days after Hamby was ejected for an elbow to the face of Sun rookie Raegan Beers.
Dearica Hamby of the Sparks dribbles the ball during a game against the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 22, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
This is the second time in recent months that a person lost their job for directing a racist remark toward a WNBA player.
A Hilton Grand Vacations employee was fired in July after Aces star Chelsea Gray shared on her Instagram story a message she received from a fan that called her the n-word.
"The person responsible for posting this information is no longer with the company," Hilton Grand Vacations said in a statement at the time. "His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and does not reflect our company's values in any way."
Hamby is a three-time All-Star who won a championship with the Aces in 2022.
Gray, 33, is a six-time All-Star and four-time WNBA champion.
