WNBA Star Dearica Hamby Is Redefining What Self-Care Looks Like For Working Moms And Athletes

Dearica Hamby is tired, y’all. 

Not in the way that a good night’s rest can fix, but in the way that comes from years of running at full speed while everyone around you acts like that’s just what you’re supposed to do. And honestly, I can relate.

Now I’m not saying I know what it’s like to be an elite athlete. Or a present mother. But I do know what it’s like as a Black woman when you’re trying to operate at your highest level, and people want you to just be grateful for the opportunity. To not complain. And you have people relying on you who don’t want you to slow down, let alone get pregnant.

The 31-year-old Los Angeles Sparks forward has been operating at that pace for most of her career—three All-Star selections, countless games leading to wear and tear on the body, all while raising two kids and dealing with the reality that the WNBA doesn’t exactly make space for women who choose motherhood. Last year, she filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Las Vegas Aces after she says she was traded while pregnant, a move that made her an unwitting spokesperson for every mother who’s ever been punished for having a uterus that works.

But right now, Hamby’s focused on something that doesn’t make as big of a splash in the headlines: figuring out how to actually take care of herself.

“I think when I first got into the league I was more in a GO GO GO mindset,” she tells ESSENCE. “I wanted to get as many things done in a day as I could… I wanted to travel to see everyone and everybody in my short time at home.”

That version of Hamby makes sense when you understand what it takes to make it in the WNBA. The average salary hovers around $102,000, which is undoubtedly good money for most people (I said most, not all, because depending on what city you live in, $100K could feel like $40K), but not exactly enough to build generational wealth or retire comfortably after a decade of destroying your body. So players hustle. They play overseas in the off-season, they take every endorsement deal, they say yes to appearances and camps and anything else that might add a few thousand to their bank accounts. Rest becomes a luxury they can’t afford.

Except Hamby’s starting to realize that rest isn’t a luxury at all. It’s a requirement.

“Since having kids and also just maturing in my game I’ve placed a lot of importance on my wellness and taking care of myself,” she says. “It’s important to rest and recover and to unplug at times… This also means supporting myself with resources that help keep me consistent if I’m lacking in my diet, since it can sometimes be difficult to eat right while I’m on the road.”

That part—the mother and athlete thing—that’s where Hamby’s story gets more complicated. Because the WNBA loves to celebrate its players as role models and champions, but it hasn’t quite figured out what to do with them when they become mothers. Hamby learned that firsthand, and it’s shaped how she thinks about showing up for herself now.

“I show up for myself in all sorts of ways.. physically mentally and emotionally,” she says. “Mentally and emotionally just making sure I’m protecting my peace.. and decompressing when I’m able to.”

Protecting her peace looks different than it used to. It means saying no more often. It means acknowledging that she can’t pour from an empty cup, even though there’s this constant pressure to do exactly that. It means recognizing that taking care of herself isn’t selfish—it’s actually necessary if she wants to keep showing up for her kids.

“I see how crucial it is to take care of my health not just for myself, but for my children,” she says.

In this particular instance, she’s talking about supplements, but for Hamby it’s actually pretty practical. Even as a non-athlete, I can feel the difference when I don’t take my vitamin D, magnesium, or even my multivitamins. So I’d imagine when you’re living on planes and team buses, eating whatever the arena provides or grabbing something quick between shootaround and game time, it’s hard to get everything your body needs. So she started working with MegaFood, taking their Whole Body Multi vitamin in the mornings, their Blood Builder Iron Supplement when her energy crashes, and keeping their Relax + Calm Magnesium Chews around for nights when her body won’t shut off after a game.

“When I take MegaFood Whole Body Multi, it feels like self-care. Starting my day with Iron supplements feels like a boost in energy and keeps me feeling motivated to start my day,” she explains.

It’s not glamorous. Nobody’s writing think pieces about iron supplements (but maybe I should add that too the top of my editorial list, because spoiler alert: we need to be taking more supplements, folks). But Hamby’s been in the league long enough to know that the small stuff matters, especially now that she’s 31 and her body doesn’t bounce back the way it used to.

“For me it’s mostly mental and my ability to believe in myself,” she says about what’s kept her career going. “I’ve been fortunate to be physically sustainable thus far. But I am also getting older now so there is a bigger emphasis on me taking care of my body to help with recovery.”

She noticed the difference toward the end of this season. “I can really feel MegaFood supplements working. They easily absorb into my body and I definitely notice a difference in my everyday life,” she says. The iron helps with energy, the magnesium actually works for “falling asleep and staying asleep after high adrenaline game days.”

When asked about spending money on wellness products—because let’s be real, this stuff adds up—she says. “I can’t take money with me when I leave, so I’m going to make sure I’m keeping my current necessities at the forefront to feel my best night in and night out.”

Hamby also offers advice for other ambitious women, especially mothers, trying to balance career and family, “Be confident in whatever decision you make for yourself and your family. There is mom guilt either way and people are gonna have something to say regardless… so do what you feel is best.”

That’s a clear acknowledgment that there’s no perfect formula, no right way to do any of this, and that judgment is coming whether you lean in or lean out or try to do some impossible dance in between.

“I think I pour everything I have onto the court. I also pour all I have into my kids,” she explains. “I try to treat the game like I do my home life… and that’s kinda the brand that I’ve built for myself. People know I play hard and I also love hard… I handle my teammates and work with care.. like I do my kids.. it all translates to one another.”

But Hamby’s spent enough time fighting other people’s battles—the lawsuit, the advocacy, the public scrutiny—that she’s getting clearer about what she actually wants. And what she wants is simple, even if getting there isn’t: a WNBA that doesn’t punish women for becoming mothers.

“Raising kids definitely takes a village but that doesn’t mean that it’s a hindrance and moms shouldn’t be considered less qualified because they want to have kids,” she says. “I think if the narrative can be changed, the world would be a better place.”

Until that world shows up, Hamby’s doing what she can to take care of herself—physically, mentally, emotionally.

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