With a new coach and only six returning players, the Los Angeles Sparks are getting used to new ways of competing. Head coach Lynne Roberts admits that some schemes will include spontaneity.
“The way that we’re gonna play is not always black and white,” Roberts said. “There’s structure but there’s freedom.”
The 2025 Sparks roster includes veterans with championship experience. Forward Dearica Hamby reunites with her former Aces teammate Kelsey Plum, who won two championships. Plum had a memorable performance, scoring 37 points in her debut as a Spark in their 84-67 victory over the Golden State Valkyries.
“I felt like we’re kind of disheveled and disorganized at times,” Plum said. “I didn’t do a great job of getting us organized.”
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Plum is also a two-time Turkish League Champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Center Mercedes Russell helped the Seattle Storm win two championships. She also became a WNBL champion and Grand Final MVP in 2024.
“We have a complete roster, we have shooters, we have bigs, we have point guards, we have scorers,” Russell said. “It’s just a matter of putting it all together and just building chemistry.”
Both coaches and players on the team share a desire to win games. The squad has strong communication skills and a fervor to evolve, according to forward Emma Cannon.
“I love that we can hold each other accountable,” Cannon said. “This group here, we want to get better so we are able to accept criticism, hear it, learn from it and go back on the court to do it better.”
Guard Odyssey Sims competed on the reigning champion Sparks squad in 2017. She was the fourth leading scorer with 9.6 points per game. She helped the team reach the WNBA Finals.
“Every day that we come and we show up it’s are we getting better? Did we improve from the day before yesterday?” Sims said. “We know what we have to get better at but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Azurá Stevens returns to the Sparks as a reigning champion from Unrivaled. In the title match, Stevens made a high of 18 rebounds.
“Unrivaled, it created a lot of space, it being three-on-three and with coach Roberts’ system, threes are so important,” Stevens said. “As we’re learning more and more, just utilizing my three-point shot and being aggressive from out there.”
