Think sending racist abuse to WNBA players has no consequences? Think again. One man targeted Dearica Hamby with a vile message, and now he is out of a job.

The man was an employee of Acclaro Medical, and the company fired him about a week after he sent the racially offensive text to the Los Angeles Sparks forward, according to USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall.

The controversy began on August 24, when Hamby posted a screenshot of a racist text she had received from an unknown number.

Hamby then turned to her nearly 50,000 followers for help identifying the sender, asking, “Anyone know this number?”

Her followers quickly got to work, reportedly identifying the alleged sender within an hour through a reverse search of the phone number. After several users linked him to Acclaro Medical and alerted the company, it launched an internal investigation.

On August 25, Acclaro Medical told USA Today that it had suspended the employee pending an internal review. In a separate social media statement, the company condemned racism, harassment and hate speech, saying the remarks did not reflect its values or standards.

Amid all this, the WNBA has come out in support of Dearica Hamby, unequivocally denouncing all forms of hate and abuse directed at players online.

“The WNBA 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,” said the league statement on September 2.

In a statement to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday, Sept. 1, Acclaro Medical verified that the individual is no longer employed there.

But anyone pretending Hamby’s ordeal was an isolated incident has not been paying attention. Just weeks earlier, Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray was targeted with racist abuse by a Hilton Grand Vacations employee.

Like Hamby, Gray refused to stay silent. She exposed the racist message on Instagram and publicly called out the person who sent it.

“The hate directed at me and so many other Black athletes is one of the many ways systemic racism shows up in our lives,” Gray said. “But as athletes, there is real power in calling it out and naming it, and we have a real opportunity to create change collectively when we do so,” Gray said at the time.

The same chain of events followed: fans quickly identified the alleged sender, forcing the company to investigate.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are currently investigating the matter. The behavior described does not reflect our company’s values. We take these concerns seriously and will take appropriate action based on the findings of our review,” read the statement by Hilton Grand Vacations.

Hours later, the employee was fired.

Gray later thanked everyone who had sent messages, posts and emails supporting her after the incident.

“Appreciate all the messages, posts, emails, etc,” she wrote. “Even if I don’t reply to all of them, know that I thank you!”

“People act like we just make this (stuff) up,” she wrote in her post. “And the audacity to tell us, as athletes, to ‘shut up and dribble.”

But the abuse did not begin with Gray. After Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas committed a flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark in June, she was bombarded with racial slurs and death threats, prompting her to publicly demand that the WNBA do more to protect its players.

“We still have yet to hear anything from Cathy (Engelbert). It’s no surprise,” Thomas said after a practice session on June 30. “You can see what’s being said on social media … but as usual, she remains silent, and that’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened. … The league has to do better.”

Engelbert eventually responded, condemning the abuse and confirming that league security was working with the Mercury. But statements have not stopped the hate. Thomas was targeted, then Gray, and now Hamby.

Perhaps losing a job and receiving a lifetime WNBA ban will finally make the next racist think twice before pressing send. Criticize the basketball all you want, but racism, abuse, and death threats have no place in the WNBA.

And Hamby had already been at the center of attention just two days earlier.

So, Why Was Dearica Hamby Ejected?

Dearica Hamby was ejected from the Los Angeles Sparks’ August 22 game against the Connecticut Sun after a physical battle with Raegan Beers. With 8:39 left in the fourth quarter, Hamby swung her arm backward while fighting for position and struck Beers in the head. Beers went down and was later ruled out with a jaw injury.

Officials reviewed the play and upgraded Hamby’s foul to a Flagrant 2, which carries an automatic ejection. Beers was also called for a loose-ball foul during the sequence, but Hamby’s contact to the head was judged unnecessary and excessive, ending her night immediately.

The ejection did not lead to a suspension. Hamby returned for the Sparks’ next game on August 24 against the Atlanta Dream and continued playing afterward. Her next scheduled WNBA game is September 17 against the Dallas Wings, following the league’s World Cup break.

As for the season total, Hamby has been ejected once in 2026. Five players have recorded one ejection each this season: Hamby, Isabelle Harrison, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Myisha Hines-Allen and DiJonai Carrington.