A Rhode Island medical device company, Acclaro Medical, has fired an employee who sent a racist text message to Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby.
The employee was terminated after social media users identified his phone number from a screenshot published online by Hamby following her ejection from a Women's National Basketball Association game last month.
Dearica Hamby is a veteran forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, a professional basketball franchise based in Los Angeles, California. Acclaro Medical is a medical equipment manufacturer headquartered in Rhode Island, the smallest state in the United States.
Acclaro Medical initially suspended the worker pending an internal investigation into the abusive message before making the decision to dismiss him. The company confirmed the termination in a statement provided to USA Today.
In a public statement shared on social media, Acclaro Medical stated that it condemns racism, harassment, hate speech and discriminating behavior in all forms. The company added that the online remarks do not in any way reflect the values and standards of the Company.
Company response and league ban
The WNBA also vowed to take action regarding the abusive message, expressing firm support for Hamby and condemning the racial abuse directed at the forward.
In a statement released via USA Today, the league stated that it is committed to holding anyone who engages in such abhorrent behavior accountable. The WNBA added that the individual will be permanently banned from all league games and events.
The WNBA is the premier professional women's basketball league in North America, comprising twelve teams across the United States. League official policy enforces strict guidelines regarding fan conduct and online harassment of players.
Game ejection and abusive text
The incident began on August 22 when Hamby was ejected from a game for throwing an elbow into the face of Connecticut Sun forward Raegan Beers.
Beers fell to the court in pain following the contact. Match officials assessed Hamby with a Flagrant 2 foul, which under basketball rules results in an automatic ejection from the contest. Hamby later hinted that her action was retaliation after Beers hit her in the stomach earlier in the play.
The Connecticut Sun is a professional women's basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. Raegan Beers plays as a forward for the franchise in her WNBA career.
Two days after the game, on August 24, Hamby shared a screenshot on social media of an abusive text message she received from an unknown telephone number.
The message read: "Dirty as n*****. They should put you in a zoo. Animal," and was followed by a monkey emoji.
Hamby posted the image online and asked her followers, "Anyone know this number?" In response, multiple fans traced the phone number to the Acclaro Medical employee. By Thursday morning, the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, had gathered more than 9.6 million views.
Widespread racial abuse against players
Hamby is not the only player in the WNBA to face targeted racial abuse following physical incidents on the court during the season.
Earlier in the year, a major controversy arose when Phoenix Mercury veteran Alyssa Thomas made contact with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark as both players dived for a loose ball. Thomas struck Clark in the throat during the play.
The league retroactively suspended Thomas for the foul. Following the decision, Thomas became the target of death threats and racial abuse from members of Clark's online fanbase, with the abuse targeting Thomas, her wife, and her children.
Thomas, who is Black, spoke to reporters about the severe online reaction. "Our families are being threatened," Thomas said. "Kids are being threatened. People are sending racial slurs and all types of stuff."
Thomas emphasized the severity of the attacks. "There's a difference between trolling and there's a difference between hatred," she continued. "The hatred that we're experiencing over a play that was, honestly, a complete accident, no one even knew what happened, it's just unfortunate."
Alyssa Thomas is an experienced forward playing for the Phoenix Mercury in Phoenix, Arizona. Caitlin Clark is a prominent rookie guard playing for the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Player statements and ongoing harassment
Clark publicly disavowed the hostile messages directed at Thomas and other players across the league.
"As I've stood up here and said before, like the harassment, the hate, none of that is okay," Clark told reporters. "That goes for the opposing team we play, that goes for my teammates, that goes for my coaches, there should never be a question of character."
Days after the incident involving Thomas, another prominent WNBA player, Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces, was targeted over on-court contact with Clark.
Gray was posted up against Clark in the paint when she pivoted and struck the Fever guard in the midsection with her elbow, causing Clark to double over. Officials reviewed the play for a hostile act, declined to escalate the call, and upheld a foul on Clark for flopping.
Following the game, Gray received racial abuse from online fans and shared screenshots of direct messages she received. Gray is a veteran point guard for the Las Vegas Aces, a franchise based in Nevada.
Gray addressed the abusive messages in her caption. "People act like we just make this s*** up," Gray wrote, adding, "And the audacity to tell us as athletes to 'shut up and dribble.'"
