The Sparks announced Sunday morning that the organization has parted ways with general manager Raegan Pebley.
The interim general manager duties will be shared by assistant general managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen.
The move comes three weeks before the league’s trade deadline, which is August 2, and on the eve of a four-game trip that begins in against the Dream in Atlanta.
Pebley, 50, was hired as GM in January 2024 without any previous executive experience. The Sparks were 39-66 during her tenure, which included firing coach Curt Miller in September 2024 after two seasons. He was succeeded by Lynne Roberts, who went 21-23 in her first season last year.
“I’m focused on the players and coaching, the team and Atlanta,” Roberts said. “Obviously, I found out this morning. Raegan is a friend of mine and I care about her and this is the hard part in sports right but right now I’m just focused on the team.”
The Sparks currently are 10-11, including consecutive wins over the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. They are ninth in the WNBA standings and have not made the playoffs since 2020. The franchise won league championships in 2001, 2002 and 2016.
Pebley was a head coach at TCU, Fresno State and Utah State, an assistant at Colorado State and George Mason, and played two seasons in the WNBA.
“We are grateful to Raegan for her leadership and commitment to the Los Angeles Sparks and women’s basketball,” Sparks managing partner and governor Eric Holoman said in a statement. “Her work on the Sparks roster and player experience will have a lasting positive impact on our organization. We sincerely thank her for all she has invested in the Sparks and wish her success in her next chapter.”
OGWUMIKE NEARS MARK
Nneka Ogwumike is on the cusp of another historic milestone with the Sparks.
The 11-time All-Star is 43 points from passing Lisa Leslie’s mark of 6,263 points to become the three-time WNBA champion franchise’s all-time leading scorer. She has scored 6,221 points in 375 games in a purple and gold uniform across 13 seasons.
“Just grateful to be spoken about in that type of company,” Ogwumike said at the team’s practice facility in Torrance on Sunday before leaving for a week-long four-game road trip that begins against the Atlanta Dream on Monday. “I think that it’s not a light type of achievement, and I obviously had Lisa as a huge impact in my career and even still so. I’m just grateful to be doing it in the same jersey as her.”
The Sparks will play at rival Minnesota on Wednesday, at Chicago on Friday, and at Dallas on Sunday.
“I think that we’re trying to find a flow right now,” Ogwumike said. “We’ve seen some up-and-down moments.”
Los Angeles Sparks All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike on being just 43 points from passing legend Lisa Leslie as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and what the team needs to do win games on an upcoming four-game road trip against Atlanta, Minnesota, Chicago and Dallas. pic.twitter.com/7k5jN14uLI
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 12, 2026
Ogwumike, who is averaging 16.9 points in 20 games this season, has stepped up her play as of late and is averaging 24.5 points during the Sparks’ two-game winning streak against the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky.
“I’ve run out of superlatives for Nneka and we’re only halfway through the season,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “She’s unbelievable.”
“I’m honored and happy to be a part of her journey through this league and her legacy,” Roberts continued. “It’s an honor to coach her. She’s one of one.”
The 2012 No. 1 pick out of Stanford and 2016 MVP during the team’s last championship season has long been a model of efficiency, with a 53.8% career field-goal percentage, including 36.9% from beyond the arc.
“As Nneka would say, her breaking the record means that she’s getting old, which shows her character,” said Sparks guard Erica Wheeler, an 11-year veteran who was undrafted out of Rutgers in 2013, but recently moved up to 19th on the WNBA’s all-time career assists list. “Nneka doesn’t really care about individual goals. Of course she works hard and she wants to be the best in everything she does but if you look at the videos whenever time she receives an award, she’s just like OK next and that just shows who she is. It’s never really about her, she’s a team player and she’ll tell you quickly she can’t do any of those things without her teammates.”
In hindsight, Ogwumike would likely have passed on Leslie during the 2024 season, but she left during free agency and played two seasons with the Seattle Storm before resigning with the Sparks before this season.
Candace Parker is third all-time in franchise history with 5,684 points.
Ogwumike is already the franchise’s all-time leader in steals, field goals made and field goal percentage.
“Just going to get some wins, that’s what’s most important to me,” Ogwumike continued, who has scored the fourth most points in WNBA history behind Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles and DeWanna Bonner.
“She brings a sense of confidence but I think the thing that separates her is her poise and her intentionality,” Coach Roberts added. “Everything she does is with intention and purpose.”
With Kelsey Plum (leg) and Cameron Brink (ankle) still sidelined, the Sparks (10-11) are trying to get back to .500 at the halfway point of the season. Ogwumike scored a season-high 25 points in the Sparks’ 102-87 win against Chicago Friday. All five starters scored at least 15 points individually. The team also finished with a season-high 32 assists.
“We’re clicking, and I said it before, once we start clicking, it’s going to be scary and here we are,” Sparks veteran forward Emma Cannon said, who, at 37, is Ogwumike’s only elder on the team. “It’s a wonderful thing to watch. All my teammates are great people and great players but it started to come to fruition, it’s a beautiful thing.”
The Dream (13-10) have lost six of their last seven games, including a 102-92 loss at home against the Portland Fire on Saturday. All-Star reserve guards Allisha Gray (20 points) and Rhyne Howard (10 points) combined for 30 points. However, All-Star reserve forward Angel Reese missed the game with a right leg injury and her status for Monday’s title is unclear.
“Now we have to take this to the road and turn this homestand into a streak and get some good road wins,” Ogwumike explained.
Meanwhile, Sparks guard Rae Burrell did not practice due to soreness in her leg but is expected to play against Atlanta Monday. Brink is considered day-to-day but has not yet practiced after suffering a sprained ankle injury on June 15. Brink and Plum will likely be on a minutes restriction whenever they are cleared to play.
SPARKS (10-11) AT ATLANTA (13-10)
When: Monday, 4 p.m.
Where: Gateway Center Arena, College Park, GA
TV: USA, Spectrum SportsNet
Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts on the organization parting ways with general manager Raegan Pebley and the fact that Nneka Ogwumike is about to pass Lisa Leslie’s all-time franchise scoring record.
Coach Roberts also provides updates on Cameron Brink’s injury… pic.twitter.com/3Qj3xEa0bj
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 12, 2026
— The Associated Press contributed to this report