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This season, the revamped Los Angeles Sparks are looking to turn around their rotten luck of late and make their first postseason appearance since 2020.
Armed with a new coach, two rising stars in Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink, plus two former title-winning All-Stars in Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum, the Sparks are hoping to take their game to the next level.
Our 2024 first-round draft picks in one of their first photos together. #TBT pic.twitter.com/qFJEKaX3Fr
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) April 3, 2025
Here are five highlight matchups well worth watching when the 2025 WNBA season tips off in May.
Following a May 6 preseason contest against the WNBA’s latest expansion team, L.A. will open its 2025 season with a rematch.
In the new team’s expansion draft, Golden State selected 6-foot-2 former Sparks forward Stephanie Talbot. L.A. was permitted to only keep six of its preferred personnel on a list of “Protected Players” it would not permit the Valkyries to poach. Golden State has the Nos. 5, 17, and 30 picks in this spring’s upcoming 2025 WNBA Draft.
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Last year, the 30-year-old Talbot played just one season in Los Angeles. After missing the entirety of 2023 due to an ACL tear, she submitted her lowest-scoring season ever, averaging 3.5 points on .395/.260/.690 shooting splits, plus 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks a night in 37 contests (10 starts).
Former 2022 Aces world champs Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby will suit up against their old team for the first time as Sparks teammates on the road.
Breaking: The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team move that sends three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources tell @ShamsCharania, @ramonashelburne, @alexaphilippou and @kendra__andrews. pic.twitter.com/vrHRsqBlFq
— ESPN (@espn) January 27, 2025
Plum, 31, seems likely to inject some life into L.A.’s offense this year. The 5-foot-8 scoring guard, an alum of La Jolla Country Day High School outside of San Diego, made All-Star teams in each of the last three consecutive seasons while with Las Vegas, winning titles in 2022 and ’23. She finished third in MVP voting in 2022. Last year for the 27-13 Aces, Plum averaged 17.8 points on .423/.368/.866 shooting splits, 4.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.7 steals a night.
Hamby, a 6-foot-3 forward out of Wake Forest, won consecutive Sixth Player of the Year awards in 2019 and ’20 with Las Vegas, and was named an All-Star in three of the last four seasons between the Aces (twice) and Sparks. Last season, Hamby averaged a career-most 17.3 points on a .512/.341/.631 slash line, 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 dimes and 1.7 steals a night.
The Sparks will get their first look at the No. 1 pick in this Commissioner’s Cup clash against the Wings.
Three-time All-American University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers, the best player in the NCAA this season, is expected to be the pick. If she does join Dallas she’ll be joining multi-time All-Stars Arike Ogunbowale and Natasha Howard to form an exciting new core in the Lone Star State.
The best rookie in last year’s draft, All-WNBA superstar Fever point guard Caitlin Clark, will play her first 2025 season matchup against Los Angeles on June 26.
The 22-year-old 6-footer out of Iowa had a superlative debut season, averaging 19.2 points on .417/.344/.906 shooting splits, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in 40 healthy bouts.
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Alongside fellow burgeoning Indiana superstar Aliyah Boston, Clark is looking to take the next step in her pro journey for Year 2.
Sparks power forward Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft behind Clark, is no doubt looking to rebound from an injury-riddled 2024 season, during which she only was available for 15 games.
The Sparks will be nearly two months into their season before they face off against the reigning champs.
Armed with two-time MVP power forward Breanna Stewart, 2021 MVP center Jonquel Jones, three-time All-WNBA shooting guard Sabrina Ionescu and three-time All-Defensive guard Natasha Cloud (their replacement for the departed Courtney Vandersloot), the Liberty appear poised to potentially repeat.
More Los Angeles Sparks:
Ranking The 3 Best Sparks Coaches Ever
New Sparks Guard Kelsey Plum’s Best Playoff Moments
Ranking The Sparks’ 5 Best Draft Picks Ever
For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Sparks, visit Los Angeles Sparks on SI.
