LOS ANGELES — When locating a buried treasure chest, this isn’t something that will be visible to the masses, but only to the ones who choose to go past the surface level to dig it up from the ground. However, once the chest is opened and it is filled with precious jewels, then it will be well worth the journey because you found something meaningful. On the basketball court, that is Alissa Pili.
Pili, who is a forward for the Los Angeles Sparks just recently signed her second seven day contract after being released from the Minnesota Lynx just two weeks prior. She was the 8th pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, after being named the Pac 12 player of the year for the Utah Utes. Fast forward, she is in her second season in the WNBA.
Rookie year
Pili’s first season she was drafted by the Chicago Sky and traded over to the Lynx for Angel Reese. Her first season she played 6.3 minutes per game while averaging 2.4 ppg and 1.2 rpg. For a top 10 pick, every other player outside of Pili had the freedom to build their individual resumes in their rookie seasons. Sometimes players are put in certain circumstances where the fit just isn’t there due to a numerous number of reasons such as playing style, coaching philosophies, and veteran teams. So the Lynx chose to make the move to waive their first round draft pick just 36 games in her career.
Sophomore year
After her stint with the Lynx, Pili signed her first seven-day contract with the Sparks back on August 3rd, 2025. Since coming on to the Sparks she has appeared on the roster for four games seeing her first action on Saturday August 10th versus the Golden State Valkyries. With the Sparks, who just defeated the Seattle Storm 91-94 on the second half of a back to back they are fighting for a playoff spot. The Sparks have won 9 of their last 11 games and have kept their playoff hopes alive. They are one of the hottest teams in the WNBA; while that is great for the team, it puts Pili in a position where she’s once again dealing with adjusting to a new team.
What makes Pili valuable?
Physical attributes
While looking at Pili’s physical size and her game, one way to describe her is an undersized post player. She stands at about 6’0 tall, playing as a small/power forward. Now if one hasn’t taken the time to really evaluate her game then they would think that would be a problem, but her strong frame she has used to punish opponents and make up for her the few inches of height at her position.
Head Coach Dawn Staley power house for theUniversity of South Carolina put it simply during a game against Pili while she was playing for the Utes. “We cannot stop her.” That physical style of play is as effective in the WNBA as it would be at the college level.
Skill set/IQ
Throughout her college career, Pili averaged a career 16.9 ppg and was able to be an efficient three-tier scorer with shooting splits of 51/34/80. That is not common for even lottery picks at her position coming into the draft able to have that scoring output with that level of efficiency. By the eye test, she has a mastered interior scoring on the block with effective footwork and touch around the basket. Along with the ability to hit three point shots where she is at least a threat, and if you foul her she is more than capable of making free throws.
The IQ part of the game though is what would translate the most over from college. Even in her limited time on the court in the WNBA she knows the concept of how to seal her opponent in the post to get open while also setting effective screens to get her teammates open. There are certain things that go past a stat sheet and can only be revealed through film to show how smart a player is and how they think the game will benefit their team.
Team Player
One of the hardest things as an athlete is to go from being the best player on your team, your conference, your state, or the country, and then having to adjust to being something different. Pili since high school hasn’t known anything but being the best player in her area from high school where she was Gatorade player of the year to college being the Pac-12 player of the year.
Through her transition in the WNBA, she has remained grounded while cheering for her teammates both on the Lynx and even her short stint for the Sparks. Whether it is with the Sparks or another team, she will get her opportunity to show why she is a true diamond in the rough.
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