They fell short on that goal, and are currently watching from the sideline (or from New York Fashion Week in the case of Rickea Jackson, or from the soccer pitch in the case of Julie Vanloo). While that shortfall is certainly disappointing to the coaches, players, and fans, the Sparks still finished a notable 21-23.
The record is significant for two reasons. First, because the Sparks won more than double the number of games that they won last year. Second, because a .477 record would have earned them a spot in the playoffs every year dating back to 2011. In 2014, it would have earned them a 4 seed.
“Maybe like two weeks ago, I was calling (Dearica Hamby) and I was having a moment,” Sparks guard Kelsey Plum told reporters in her exit interview. “I was just frustrated, you know, I’m like, ‘I want to win.’ She was like, ‘hey, I won eight games last year, so this looks different to me.’ So I think perspective is key.”
Head coach Lynne Roberts echoed that same sentiment of pride with perspective. “I’m proud of what we did,” she said. “We didn’t finish with the ultimate end goal, but I’m proud of the improvement and the way these guys battled all season. We went through adversity, and they stuck together, and I am proud of that. So, I’m disappointed, but like I said before, I don’t feel like this season was a failure at all.”
Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley likened the season to a garden, noting that some chapters are for planting and some for harvesting. She saw this one as a planting season, careful not to use the term “rebuilding,” which the Sparks have strategically shied away from all year. Pebley believes that there was even some “sprouting” of the planted garden this year.
“It’s really easy to get caught up in a win-loss, or playoffs, and that success is binary. And that’s not the case,” Pebley said. “There’s so much success and growth, and many, many things to be proud of that have happened this season. We all know how this season started. But since July 4th, this team is the fourth-best team in the league.”
After the All-Star Break, the Sparks went 16-10, including a five game win streak and a stretch where they went 8-1. In five of those wins, they scored over 100 points.
Repeated throughout the exit interviews was the discussion of player buy-in, a feat on any professional team, but especially one with a first year coach coming off of an eight win season in 2024. “The players deserve a lot of credit for trusting her, for trusting the system,” Pebley said. Other players like Rae Burrell and Azura Stevens noted in their interviews that they appreciated the trust that Roberts had given them all season long to be themselves on the court.
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Pebley also reflected on the team’s positive culture, locker room presence, and general camaraderie, dynamics that were palpable from a viewer perspective all season. In professional sports, where personalities can often mix with losing records to build animosity and frustration, the Sparks constantly praised one another in press conferences, picked each other up off the ground, celebrated on the bench, and were notably drama free.
This was likely in large part due to the Sparks’ veteran leadership of Hamby, Plum, Stevens, and notably, Emma Cannon, who did not play significant minutes over the course of the season but was repeatedly touted by coaches and players for her enthusiasm, mentorship, and kindness to her teammates.
“Emma is as important to this team and what we’re doing and what we’ve been doing as anybody,” Pebley said.
“[Emma and Sania Feagin] kept me sane, […] they just saw me on a different level,” Jackson said in her exit interview.
In exit interviews, the harmoniousness and kindness of this team was on full display. The conversations took place after the Sparks were blown out in their final contest against the Aces, a game played after they were already eliminated from playoff contention. The conversations started at 9 P.M., and still, there were jokes about wine nights and tears over the emergence of a special bond (Julie Vanloo and Julie Allemand), and a delay when the duo of Plum and Hamby refused to leave the stage, quipping that they hadn’t waited this long after the game to only answer a few questions.
Vanloo and Allemand, both of whom will play overseas in the offseason, both teared up discussing their camaraderie, their growth, and their journey this year. Notably, Vanloo joined the team midway through the season after an unfortunately timed waive from the Golden State Valkyries, resulting in her waiting to hear if she’d been signed by the Sparks while sitting on her suitcase outside of Barclay’s Center.
“I tried everything I had inside of me to bring that energy, […] It wasn’t easy for me mentally. I do hope that there’s another opportunity for me to show that. Definitely, I’d come back,” Vanloo said.
Plum, the offseason acquisition that provided a beacon of light for so many Sparks fans, finished the season averaging 19.5 points and 5.7 assists, and setting Sparks records in points, assists, and made three pointers and free throws. Hamby set records for made field goals and offensive rebounds. The reunited duo of Hamby and Plum was the second-highest scoring duo in the league.
Plum told reporters early and often that she was excited to be part of building something new in LA, coming back to her roots in Southern California and helping to create some magic in a program that has been lacking a spark (all puns intended) for a number of years. The Poway native’s appetite for winning may not have been satiated, but she certainly brought star power the Sparks desperately needed. So, will she be back? While the looming CBA means answers won’t come to any of those questions for the foreseeable future, her statement to fans after the final game felt hopeful.
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“Los Angeles, on behalf of my teammates and I, thank you so much,” she said. “We understand that we’re here to win and playoffs are a standard, so moving forward, I want to let you guys know that things are changing here and appreciate the support in the meantime. We were fourth in attendance this year, I know the traveling, the parking, everything’s expensive. And I just appreciate from the bottom of my heart, all you hardworking people. Thank you so much, we’ll be back.”
Pebley told reporters in exit interviews that “Kelsey was and is one of the best decisions we’ve made as an organization. We knew bringing her into this org[anization], the standards that she sets for herself were going to raise the standards within our organization. The expectations that she has equate the expectations that we have.”
When addressing the Sparks’ strengths and weaknesses over the course of the season, Plum spoke at length about offensive and defensive chemistry, noting that offense went well this year — the Sparks were second in both field goal percentage (45.7%) and points per game (85.7) — but unfortunately, they were also first in opponent points per game (88.2). She believes the difficulty on the defensive end was the result of lack of experience and time playing together, and hopes that the team staying together will mean improved defensive results next year.
“I’ve never been the head of the snake before,” Plum reflected, likely referencing her time in Las Vegas among other All-Stars A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young. “I learned a lot, but I think I have a lot of areas to grow in that area.” Plum noted that she wants to take a step back, walk her dog and take some time to think about what went right and what went wrong. She noted that it’s been hard for her to acknowledge her strengths while giving herself grace. “I’m not playing games, I’m here to win,” she said.
The Sparks’ youth was also an important storyline all season. With rookies Sarah Ashlee Barker and Sania Feagin, as well as second year players like Jackson and Cameron Brink on rookie scale contracts, they will likely be locked in to return next year. Brink played in 19 games for the Sparks this year after a season-ending ACL tear in 2024. Jackson averaged 30.9 minutes per game, key for the Sparks, and averaged 14.7 points, excelling in clutch offensive moments for the Sparks. Barker and Feagin played useful roles off the bench, especially as the Sparks dealt with significant injuries at the start of the season.
Burrell, who is technically in her fourth season but only played in three games as a rookie, shone at the end of the season, averaging 14.3 points in her final three games and providing the consistent energy she’d become famous for over the course of the season. She noted that while she wishes her momentum had picked up a bit earlier in the season, it’s nice to have this confidence boost as she puts in her offseason work.
“This is me settling into the league. I didn’t play my rookie season, was on a hardship my second season, didn’t really play the beginning of my third season, didn’t play at the beginning of this season, so I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, so being able to finally get some stability and to have my coach support me and have my team support me, I feel that really helped me,” she said.
Hamby also expressed feeling reflective at the end of the season, noting that her offseason time is important to her in figuring out how to maintain team culture and success. “I’m gonna take my time this offseason,” she said. “I always do. I focus on what’s most important to me, and that’s my kids, and my day-to-day life, and then get back at it. I’ll set another vision board.”
“[As for] the goals I had on there this year — obviously, I had us as a top-four team, which we finished [as] in the second half of the season,” Hamby continued. “Like I said, it’s a long-term thing, so those goals will be reached. I’ll put the same goals back on there individually and as a team. I do believe in the power of the tongue, and I think we’re gonna get there. I know we’re gonna get there.”
As the season wraps, Plum noted that this offseason is unprecedented, given the CBA and the growth of the league. “Players have a chance this offseason to transform themselves,” Plum said. “I think the message is to take that chip and that hunger and […] you can really transform your game. If you decide to work, you can transform your game. We’re looking forward to having some of that talent be transformed in the offseason and come back different individually, but also collectively.”
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