Dearica Hamby

Dearica Marie Hamby is a professional American basketball athlete, playing as a starting power forward for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. Born on November 6, 1993, Hamby was selected by the San Antonio Stars as their sixth pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft. As of January 2025, she is the first basketball player in the women’s category from Wake Forest University to be drafted into the WNBA. Since drafted, Hamby

Dearica Marie Hamby is the daughter of Carla Hamby and Derrick Jones and has two sisters, Chelsie and Desaraye. She is married to Alonzo Nelson-Ododa, an NBA G-League player, and they have two children, Amaya and Legend. Hamby attended Wake Forest University from 2011 to 2015 and became the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,801 points and top rebounder with 1,021 rebounds. She earned several honors, including the 2015 Marge Crisp Award for Wake Forest’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year, and was a two-time All-ACC First Team selection.

Dearica Hamby’s Early Life

Dearica Hamby is a native of Marietta, Georgia, in the United States. She attended Marietta High School for the first three years and completed high school at Norcross High School in Georgia in 2011. She played for the Norcross Varsity Basketball Team and won the state championship in 2011, leading the team to a 5-state title. She graduated from Wake Forest University in 2015, playing for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Hamby had one of the best single seasons in the school history in her junior season. She averaged 20.3 points and 10.7 rebounds during her senior year, becoming the highest-scoring player in the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s category and the second highest rebounds in the conference respectively. She earned the First-team All-ACC in 2014. Hamby finished her collegiate career with 1,801 points and 1,021 rebounds, becoming Wake Forest Demon Deacons’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Dearica Hamby’s Personal Life and Family Background

Dearica Marie Hamby is the daughter of Carla Hamby and Derrick Jones. She has two sisters, Chelsie and Desaraye. Dearica was also an exceptional softball player.

Dearica Hamby’s Husband

Dearica Hamby is married to Alonzo Nelson-Ododa, a professional basketball player. Alonzo Nelson-Ododa was born on February 2, 1993, to parents Sebastian Ododa and Heather Nelson-Ododa in Atlanta, as per the information mentioned on his college profile.

According to his Pittsburgh Panthers and Richmond Spiders profile, Alonzo Nelson-Ododa's father played basketball at Huntington University from 1989 to 1992. He has two siblings, Isaiah Nelson-Ododa and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. As of January 2025, Isaiah is playing for Roane State Community College. He previously played for Tennessee Tech during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons and then joined Gulf Coast State College for the 2023-24 season.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa is currently a WNBA player for the Connecticut Sun. Before turning pro, she had a successful college career at UConn from 2018 to 2022.

Dearica Hamby’s Kids

As of January 2025, Dearica Hamby and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa have two kids. Their first daughter, Amaya Marie, was born in February 2017. On March 16, 2023, Hamby announced the birth of their second child, Legend Maree Scandrick, on her Instagram account. As of January 2025, her daughter is seven years old and her son is one year old.

Dearica Hamby’s Social Media

Dearica Hamby’s Instagram account is @dearicamarie, with more than 161,000 followers. Her X account is @dearicamarie, with more than 35,000 followers. Her Facebook account is Dearica Hamby, with 28,000 followers, and her TikTok account is @dearicamarie, with more than 130,000 followers. She is active on almost every social media platform.

Dearica Hamby’s Career Stats

As of January 2025, Dearica Hamby has played for three different teams in the WNBA. Her regular-season total career stats are as follows:

Dearica Hamby’s Achievements

Dearica Hamby won the 2022 WNBA Championship with her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, against the Connecticut Sun. She was awarded the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year two times, in 2019 and 2020. As of January 2025, Hamby has been selected for the WNBA All-Star Team three times, in 2021, 2022, and 2024. She won the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup Championship. Hamby won the 2023 FIBA 3x3 AmeriCup in San Juan and became the tournament’s MVP.

Dearica Hamby’s Contract

According to Spotrac, Dearica Hamby signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Sparks worth $202,000 for 2025 season, on June 13, 2024.

On April 10, 2015, Dearica Hamby was picked by the San Antonio Stars as the sixth pick of the first round. She spent three seasons with the Stars. In 2018, she agreed to play with the Las Vegas Aces for five years. On January 21, 2023, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks from the Las Vegas Aces with Amanda Zahui B.

Dearica Hamby’s House

Dearica Hamby’s house is in Henderson, Nevada as per Crazy Luxury Homes. The property is approximately worth $399,900, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.