Dearica Hamby has carried the Los Angeles Sparks on her shoulders all season, but Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena felt different. With 10 seconds left in double overtime and her team’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, she found herself with the ball and pure chaos unfolding around her. What happened next surprised even her – and the story she told afterward might be even better than the shot itself.

How Did Dearica Hamby Pull Off That Impossible Game-Winner Against Seattle?

Hamby’s clutch bucket against the Seattle Storm delivered a much-needed 108-106 victory for the Los Angeles Sparks, but the three-time WNBA All-Star’s account of those final seconds reveals just how wild the moment really was. Speaking on the Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird podcast, Hamby recalled the frantic sequence that ended with her game-winning shot.

“I remember there’s 10 seconds,” Hamby recalled. “I remember slouch dribbling and it feels like forever. Like in that moment, I definitely thought it was Do you know what you’re down? Like in the moment. Maybe not now, but like you’re like very aware of everything.”

Then came the steal that changed everything. “And so when I get the steal, when I get the steal, I’m just like shoot it. Yeah. But the crazy I haven’t hit a halfcourt shot since. And so it was the craziest experience for me cuz when I caught it, like my hand turns and I like shoot it. So like it wasn’t me. I don’t know who shot it, but somebody took over. It wasn’t me. Um and so yeah, and shot it.”

But as the ball left her hands, doubt crept in. “As I’m chasing after it, I see Sydney Colson and Kayla McBride under the basket and I’m like, I’m going to get traded. This is it. I’m getting traded,” Hamby said, laughing about the panic she felt in the moment. “And then it goes in and by the reactions you can tell.”

The shot sealed the Sparks’ victory and added another highlight to Hamby’s career, while offering fans a rare glimpse into the mix of instinct, chaos, and pressure that defines crunch-time basketball.

Can Hamby’s Heroics Actually Get the Sparks Into the Playoffs?

The Sparks haven’t had it easy in 2024-25, stumbling out of the gate with just three wins in their first 10 games and spending most of the season watching the playoff race from the outside. But something has clicked in recent weeks. They have won six of their last seven games, climbing to 12-15 on the season and giving themselves real hope with 17 games to go and a 31% chance at making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s WNBA Power Index.

Hamby has been the driving force behind that turnaround. Averaging 17.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, she’s been both a reliable scorer and defensive anchor for the Sparks. Her recent hot streak tells the story – five 20-point performances in her last 10 games, including several clutch moments that have kept their season alive.

The next test comes Tuesday, August 5, against the red-hot Indiana Fever, who are riding a five-game winning streak. For Hamby and the Sparks, every remaining game carries playoff implications. One impossible shot down, 16 more chances to prove they belong in the postseason conversation.