"I cried tears again" - Dearica Hamby gets honest on LA Sparks missing WNBA playoffs after securing last spot in standings

Dearica Hamby and the LA Sparks played their last game of the season. Although they closed out their season with a win, the Sparks finished with the worst record in the WNBA. Hamby took to her social media and expressed her disappointment in missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

On her X, formerly Twitter, the Sparks forward wrote that she cried after the last game of the regular season, just like last year. However, Hamby was also positive about her team's future.

"10 seasons!!!! 💜💛 This time last year i cried tears flying home after our last game. This year. I cried tears again. 😂🙄 Just know they different!!!! Thank you LA. 🌴Forever thankful and excited for what we’re building!!! 🔒✨," she wrote.

Last year, Dearica Hamby and the Spark missed the playoffs by one game behind the Chicago Sky. They finished the season as 9th seed with a 17-13 record behind Sky [18-22]. However, despite drafting two of the top four drafts in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the team finished as the last seed.

They managed to win only 8 games this season and finished with a poor 8-32 record, exactly opposite the record of top seed New York Liberty [32-8]. The Sparks' output took a big hit after their star rookie and then WNBA block leader Cameron Brink was ruled out for the season after tearing her ACL. She played only 15 games.

How did Dearica Hamby perform this season?

Although the Sparks didn't have a great season, it could be fairly argued that it was a comeback season for Dearica Hamby. She averaged in single digits in her last two seasons, however this year, she almost doubled her production on the floor.

Hamby played all 40 games for the Sparks this season, averaging more minutes and points on the floor. She averaged 17.3 ppg shooting 51.2% from the field, substantially higher from last season [43.1%]. Hamby was effective on both ends of the floor averaging 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Hamby has exponentially fared in every category compared to last year. The Sparks forward also made her third All-Star selection this season.

Before Dearica Hamby joined the Sparks for the 2023 season, she had a stellar career with the Las Vegas Aces. She won two Sixth Player of the Year Awards with the team in two consecutive seasons; in 2019 and 2020. She also won her first title with the team in 2022.

However, Hamby and the Aces did not separate on good terms. Almost eight months after Aces traded her to the Sparks, she filed a federal lawsuit against the team in September last year. The matter is still in the court.