Dearica Hamby Set to Miss 2-4 Weeks Due to Knee Contusion

The Las Vegas Aces announced that two-time Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby would miss the next 2-4 weeks due to a knee bone contusion.

Aces forward Dearica Hamby suffered a right knee bone contusion on Tuesday night, the team announced. Hamby could miss 2-4 weeks with the injury. pic.twitter.com/5aaYZYlvVk

— ESPN (@espn) August 10, 2022

Hamby suffered the right leg injury during the Aces’ 97-90 win against the Atlanta Dream. The two-time All-Star landed awkwardly early in the second quarter while attempting a layup. She was helped to the locker room by training staff and did not return. Hamby will likely be unavailable for at least the first round of the playoffs. The first round begins on August 17.

Hamby’s absence leaves the Aces shorthanded for their Thursday matchup against the top-seeded Chicago Sky. The No. 1 v.s. No. 2 matchup — the Sky and Aces are separated by one game in the standings — has tiebreaker implications and could be considered a potential preview for the Finals.

All for the next generation. @dearicamarie

Dearica Hamby and Amaya cover WSLAM Vol. 2: https://t.co/XT8dM4P6bf pic.twitter.com/s4eUpg1vem

— WSLAM (@wslam) July 8, 2022

The Aces will enter Thursday’s showdown with the No. 1 seed Chicago Sky and probably the first round of the playoffs shorthanded. So far, the Aces and Sky have split their season series. Despite the playoff implications, Coach Becky Hammon expects the Aces to keep their identity and keep playing hard while Hamby recovers from her injury.

“Defense, play with each other and be locked in for 40 minutes,” she said per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We either will or we won’t.”

Hamby averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field. Hamby recently signed a multi-year extension in June.