LOS ANGELES — Five seasons without making the playoffs and counting.
Although the Sparks finished the 2025 season with an encouraging 16-10 record since July 5, their 21-23 overall mark earned them a ninth-place finish, which caused them to miss the WNBA playoffs by two games.
“I think for us post All-Star, we were where we wanted to be,” Sparks All-Star guard Kelsey Plum said following Thursday’s season-ending loss to Las Vegas.
“We just didn’t get it together soon enough.”
Here’s a breakdown of the Sparks’ season and roster:
Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby’s 2025 LA Sparks Exit Interview. pic.twitter.com/Kdcts3f1XH
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 12, 2025
WHAT WENT RIGHT
The Sparks’ in-season turnaround was highlighted by a span of winning eight of nine games between mid-July and early August.
“I think we have a lot of the right pieces and I know we have the right head coach,” Sparks second-year general manager Raegan Pebley said amid a round of exit interviews Thursday night. “I know we have a lot of the right leadership. I believe in the core of the youth that we have and their development.”
This was quite the improvement for a team that went 8-32 last season, but a 13-game improvement in the win column was not enough.
“I love a good challenge,” Sparks first-year coach Lynne Roberts said. “We started off tough. We had a lot of injuries. A new coach, new players and all the things. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s resolve and their ability to stick together, stick with me, stick with this organization.”
The only time the Sparks were above .500, which is what it took to make the playoffs, was after they won their season opener against the Golden State Valkyries on May 16.
“I feel like we were just right there,” Sparks second-year forward Rickea Jackson said. “One game but there were others games that we beat ourselves in, so of course disappointment but I feel like we’re trending in the right direction, planting that right seed. I feel like next year is really our year, so everybody has to watch out.”
Rickea Jackson’s 2025 LA Sparks Exit Interview. pic.twitter.com/zBhzUCrG4s
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 12, 2025
WHAT WENT WRONG
The Sparks averaged 85.7 points per game, which was second best in the league behind the first-place Minnesota Lynx, but allowed 88.2 points per game, which was the worst among the 13 teams.
“I think defensively that’s the biggest area of growth in the offseason,” Plum continued. “Individually and collectively.”
Pebley shared a similar assessment.
“You have analytics that show we’ve got to get better defensively … we will address those issues and we’ll come back stronger,” Pebley added.
The Sparks remained in playoff contention until the final week but never seized earlier opportunities to rise above the Indiana Fever (24-20), Seattle Storm (23-21) or Golden State Valkyries (23-21) to earn one of the league’s final three playoff spots.
In large part, that was due to the team’s slow start before the All-Star break. The Sparks were 5-13 on July 3. Forwards Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink, key reserves, missed the first half of the season due to injuries.
“You can’t always control things that happen and so I feel like, even with the injury, I still was able to be really focused and tuned in to the team,” Burrell said.
With Burrell and Brink back in the mix, the Sparks made a valiant push toward ending the franchise-long, five-year streak of not making the playoffs but came up short.
“You have to break it down to build it back up,” Sparks forward Dearica Hamby said. “My optimism and perspective of things is I would rather have a slow burn than a quick fix and then it just not be the same. So when you’re talking about long term and wanting to build something for the years to come with the core that we have and the young players and going forward, I’m not like happy we’re not in the playoffs but I’m very optimistic about where we were in the second half of the season. We can still get so much better, which is crazy.”
Missing the playoffs also means that the rights to the Sparks’ 2026 first-round pick, which belongs to Seattle, will be a lottery pick that could end up as high as the No. 1 overall selection. The first-round pick was packaged with guard Kia Nurse in exchange for the Storm’s No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft, which the Sparks used to draft Jackson.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Kelsey Plum: The point guard went from the No. 3 or sometimes No. 4 option on the championship-contending Aces to the Sparks’ No. 1 option after being acquired via trade in January for the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft. Plum, who averaged a team-high 19.5 points and 5.7 assists, was the Sparks’ lone All-Star this season. However, she, like most veterans across the league, will be an unrestricted free agent during the offseason as the players union negotiates a new contract, which will most likely be anchored by higher salaries.
Dearica Hamby: The 11-year veteran averaged a career-high 18.4 points on 57.2% shooting. She played in all 44 games and also averaged 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals. Hamby, who has played her past three seasons in Los Angeles, is a unrestricted free agent but said she wants to keep building with the Sparks.
Rickea Jackson: The second-year forward took another step toward unlocking her potential by averaging 14.7 points. Jackson scored 20 or more points in 10 games.
Azurá Stevens: The 6-foot-6 forward/center averaged a career-high 12.8 points and eight rebounds in 44 games. She shot 38.1% from 3-point range and played in every game for the first time in her eight year career. Stevens is an unrestricted free agent.
Cameron Brink: The second-year forward played 19 games after a 13-month recovery from a torn ACL injury. The 6-foot-4 defensive stalwart had 26 blocked shots, which made opponents think twice about driving to the basket, when she played her 12.9 minutes per game.
Rae Burrell: The fourth-year guard/forward, who is the team’s most tenured player, was a consistent spark off the bench. Burrell, who averaged a career-high 7.5 points, played in the last 27 games of the season. She missed more than a month after going down with a leg injury 41 seconds into the team’s season opener May 16.
Julie Allemand: The 29-year-old emerged as the team’s starting point guard and averaged five assists. Allemand’s season was highlighted by a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a victory over the Sun on Aug. 7.
Sarah Ashlee Barker: The rookie guard, who was drafted ninth overall from Alabama and was in and out of the team’s rotation, finished the season on a high note by scoring a career-high 15 points against the Aces.
Sania Feagin: The rookie who was drafted in the second round out of South Carolina played in only 16 games. Feagin has vowed to improve her all-around game during the offseason.
Alissa Pili: The fan favorite, who received limited playing time after being signed as a free agent in August, was the Pac-12 Player of the Year at Utah under Roberts. Pili’s physicality and unyielding strength make her an intriguing prospect heading into her third season.
Julie Vanloo: In a self-assessment, the 32-year-old second-year guard said she was not able to make the impact she wanted for the Sparks after being waived by the Golden State Valkyries. Vanloo shot 30.2% from the field.
Emma Cannon: The 36-year-old veteran did not play much in the second half of the season but was credited as a key locker room presence and great teammate.
Head Coach Lynne Roberts and General Manager Raegan Pebley’s 2025 LA Sparks Exit Interview Part 1. pic.twitter.com/l6loa2PVHx
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 12, 2025
Rae Burrell’s 2025 LA Sparks Exit Interview. pic.twitter.com/z3IXkUJHYr
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 12, 2025
Julie Vanloo and Julie Allemand’s 2025 LA Sparks Exit Interview. pic.twitter.com/qu68T6Vvq6
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 12, 2025
Azura Stevens and Alissa Pili’s 2025 LA Sparks Exit Interview. pic.twitter.com/1k4GrM7OJh
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 12, 2025