Team USA 3×3 forward Dearica Hamby ready for her Olympic opportunity

Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby couldn’t have envisioned all the success she would have in her 10-year WNBA career. In the last six seasons, Hamby has earned a WNBA championship, two Sixth Woman of the Year awards and three WNBA All-Star honors, and last month she was named to the United States’ 3×3 Olympic roster.

“A dream honestly, it was never on my bucket list to do these things growing up or even out of college. I wasn’t a top player. I was, like, No. 96 out of 100 coming out of high school, so education was primarily my focus,” Hamby said. “But the way things are unfolding for me this year is no coincidence [with] the kind of things that I went through last year and was dealing with. It’s just a testament to my resiliency and my faith in myself and my family.”

When rookie Cameron Brink tore her ACL during the Sparks’ regular-season matchup against the Connecticut Sun on June 18, Hamby replaced her teammate on the 3×3 team. 

Hamby joins Hailey Van Lith, Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick as members of the 3×3 team. During WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Hamby had the opportunity to work out and practice with her teammates. Despite the limited practices, Hamby is spending additional time with her 3×3 teammates on and off the court to develop chemistry.

“The good thing about Dearica is she’s a vet. She has that veteran mindset where she can pick things up fast, and she’s very willing to do what the game plan is for this team,” Van Lith said. “There’s a learning curve at getting used to the 3-on-3 flow, but Dearica is a pro and I’m not worried about her at all. I know that she’s going to be ready to play when it’s time to win.”

Hamby expects to carry a lot of momentum from this season into the Olympic break. In her second season with the Sparks under head coach Curt Miller, Hamby is averaging 19.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, both career highs.

“Curt loves post players. I think we saw that in his time in Connecticut. Our offense doesn’t necessarily cater to me, though. It’s pretty free-flowing,” Hamby said. “I’m a player that kind of scores out of that system, out of our transition, out of our early offenses. But just him playing me for 35 minutes and having confidence in me to allow me to shoot the ball and go get buckets.”

When Hamby was announced as Brink’s injury replacement, it wasn’t a surprise to Hamby’s former teammates, who are current members of the U.S. 5×5 Olympic basketball roster.

“I think [Dearica] is someone that plays at that type of pace of 3×3. The pace is very quick, fun and sporadic,” said Las Vegas Aces and USA Basketball forward A’ja Wilson. “With the year that she’s having, it didn’t come by any surprise that when Cam went down she was the next in line because of the numbers that she’s shown. That’s D. That’s always been her. She’s a hard worker.”

Las Vegas Aces and USA Basketball guard Kelsey Plum said she’s proud of Hamby.

“Dearica has been through a lot. I’m a Dearica Hamby fan forever,” Plum said. “So to see her have a bounceback year the way she has and just absolutely dominating people rebounding defensively and [on] offensive boards and then to see her play 3×3, I know she worked really hard for that. So I’m really happy for her and I think she’s going to continue to do great.”

The following is a Q&A with Hamby where she discusses earning a spot on the Olympic roster, transitioning to 3×3 basketball, and her Olympic goals and expectations. 

What was your reaction after finding out you were named to the Olympic 3×3 team?

It’s exciting finding out. It was ironic, the day before Cam got hurt I had the conversation with them about being an alternate. So, it’s kind of crazy how things played out. But the first day of practice, I was honestly just soaking it all in just trying to mentally flip the switch and gear up for the Olympics.

How was it emotionally going from not making the 5×5 Olympic team to then finding out you were going to Paris with the 3×3 team?

I think I should have been on the team to begin with, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m here now. But my feelings were, you know, bittersweet. I was sad at first and then I was happy for Cam because we kind of went through that process together, and just our bond, seeing her not be able to do it and the reason why she couldn’t do it. I’m here on her behalf also.

What are some of the challenges transitioning from 5×5 basketball to 3×3 basketball?

It’s rough at first. Especially for Rhyne and I transitioning out of five on five. So it takes a little bit of time and even for me, I already have a high motor but it’s still a different kind of motor. I was kind of like, “Oh crap, I gotta turn it up another notch.” Obviously, trying to find a balance of flipping the switch for me, but also taking care of myself.

I get to play with Rhyne. I could just set her ball screens and just roll, trying to take advantage of a lot of switches. A lot of switches happen on 3×3. But being able to pretty much knock down a 3-point shot and finish layups because of the physicality. 

What are some of the biggest differences between playing 3×3 and 5×5 basketball that you’ve noticed?

Sagging off; for help you can’t do that in 3×3. But normally in 5×5, you can close on the ball. Then just the motor. Every possession matters. There’s not a lot of time. In a 40-minute game usually, the better team wins, but you literally have 10 minutes or the first team to 21. So you can’t take any plays off. And then even the conditioning, I feel like I’m in pretty good shape, but it’s still a different type of conditioning. Having that practice [on July 18] was kind of like, “Oh yeah, I forgot that this is a different level of physicality.” They don’t call fouls as much.

What are you looking forward to on a global stage like the Olympics?

It’s the best players in the world on every level. So I was talking about the aura that’s going to be in there and the confidence. It’s going to be a good feeling.

What are your Olympic goals?

Stay healthy, first and foremost. Win gold and just go through, enjoy the process, [and] enjoy the experience. This is something that not everybody really gets to do, and I’m excited my family gets to be a part of it.

What’s on your Olympic travel essentials list?

Probably diapers and toys are on my essential list to travel to Paris. The kids are coming with me.

Have the kids talked about what they’re looking forward to in Paris?

Amaya just keeps saying the Eiffel Tower. She’s already been before but she doesn’t really remember. She’s seen it in pictures, so she’s super excited. I know she’s probably going to do TikToks with the Eiffel Tower. She’s probably the coolest 7-year-old in the world.

How have your two children served as additional motivation for you this season?

Though each kid has a different purpose, in my life it has taught me different things. But my daughter, Amaya, she’s probably a harder worker than me. She plays tennis and I made, like, a little highlight video for her, and I’ll watch it sometime before my games and just how hard she works on it. It motivates me.

How do you balance motherhood and basketball?

I just go with the flow. It’s unpredictable [and] spontaneous because you never know. You can have one plan and then Legend [Hamby’s son] takes a poop in the middle of the floor and then plans change. So just being able to be flexible and adaptable. I think I’ve already kind of shown that in my career.