Hamby officially named league’s top reserve
It’s official. Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby is the 2019 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, the league announced Sunday.
Hamby appeared in all 34 games for the 21-13 Aces as they secured the No. 4 seed and a single-bye heading into the postseason—the franchise’s first appearance since 2014. Hamby and four other members of the Aces will be making their playoff debuts on Sunday with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
She drew nine starts while All-Star A’ja Wilson (ankle) was sidelined by injury and averaged 14.2 points on 48.9 percent shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 4.6 free throw attempts per game. The Aces went 6-3 in that stretch.
Overall, Hamby logged a career-high 842 minutes and shot 17-of-53 from distance while averaging 11.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.
The Wake Forest alum was selected by the San Antonio Stars in the first round of the 2015 WNBA Draft. Aces head coach and president of basketball operations Bill Laimbeer made her a priority this past offseason, re-upping her on a multi-year deal as a restricted free agent.
The 6’3” forward received 41 of 43 possible votes. Washington Mystics wing Aerial Powers received two.
Hamby will be presented with the award ahead of her team’s second-round single-elimination playoff tilt against the Chicago Sky.
Love our 24/7 women’s basketball coverage? Join our Patreon now and support this work, while getting extra goodies and subscriber-only content for yourself.