WNBA star part of her college's Hall of Fame class of 2026

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi M. Dombro | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 12:17 AM ET

The Los Angeles Sparks have a 17-18 record and sit in ninth in the league standings. They've made a ferocious comeback, winning 11 of their last 15 games after starting the season 6-14.

They're still on the outside looking in for the playoffs, but L.A. is just 0.5 games back from the eighth-place Seattle Storm with nine contests left in the season. After having the worst record in the WNBA la st year, the Sparks have been aided by the addition of Kelsey Plum.

Returning stars like Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Azura Stevens have also been pivotal for L.A. Hamby is currently second on the team in both points and rebounds per game while shooting a team-best 57.0% from the floor.

L.A. Sparks star Dearica Hamby inducted into Wake Forest Hall of Fame

Hamby is in her 11th professional season, and her third with the Sparks. She was originally the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars, who became the Las Vegas Aces.

She was drafted out of Wake Forest University, who plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference with schools like Duke, North Carolina and Clemson. On Friday, the Wake Forest women's basketball team announced some exciting news regarding Hamby.

The program announced that Hamby, along with another former Demon Deacon women's basketball player, Lisa Stockton, would be inducted into the next class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.

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Dearica Hamby's college accomplishments at Wake Forest

During her four seasons at Wake Forest, Hamby played in 128 career games, starting 104 of them. All told, her career averages of 13.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.4 assists are impressive, but her numbers got better as her career went on.

As a junior, her 22.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game both led the ACC, and her 20.1 points and 35.7 minutes per contest led the league as a senior as well. All told, she was a two-time All-ACC selection.

Hamby has parlayed her college success into a strong professional career with two WNBA franchises. She is a two-time Sixth Player of the Year winner, a three-time All-Star and a WNBA champion.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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