In January, Nneka Ogwumike announced that she would leave the Los Angeles Sparks to become a free agent. This was one of the biggest free agency decisions in the offseason, given her longevity and success with the franchise. After considering franchises like the Chicago Sky and New York Liberty, Ogwumike ultimately signed with the Seattle Storm to start a new chapter of her career.
After a quarter-century of continuity, this upcoming season will mark the first time since the WNBA’s inception that the Sparks’ roster will not feature Ogwumike, Candace Parker or Lisa Leslie. All three players are cemented in Sparks lore as MVPs, legends and champions. Leslie led the franchise to back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, while Parker and Ogwumike won the most recent Sparks title in 2016.
Unfortunately, championship contention has been out of the equation for the team. The Sparks have missed the playoffs for the last three consecutive seasons, struggling to get back there since key players like Parker and Chelsea Gray left before the 2021 season. During that time, Parker and Gray each won two championships, including the two winning the most recent title for the Las Vegas Aces together. Meanwhile, Ogwumike continued to provide All-Star production for the Sparks, but it was not enough to carry the team beyond the regular season.
The Sparks have significantly revamped their roster after losing players in the offseason like Ogwumike and Jordin Canada (their two leading scorers in 2023), along with Karlie Samuelson. Last season, the team finished with averages of 78.9 points per game (PPG), 31.5 rebounds per game (RPG) and 2.9 blocks per game (BPG), all ranking 10th or lower. The Sparks also averaged 6.5 made three-point shots and 19.5 three-point shots attempted, finishing 11th in the league in both categories.
This offseason was a pivotal turning point for the Sparks: not just because of free agency, but also because of the draft.
The Sparks held two of the four lottery picks in the 2024 draft. They drafted Cameron Brink with the second overall pick, and Rickea Jackson with the fourth overall pick. Having a pair of lottery picks allowed the Sparks to add two highly-touted collegiate stars who are desired as long-term franchise players for the future. The team also drafted McKenzie Forbes in the final round, leaving draft night with three promising rookies who have the spark needed to have an impact on the team.
Last week, the Sparks went up north to play their first preseason game in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) against a familiar face: Ogwumike and her new team, the Storm. The Sparks won the game 84-79, and it was a solid showing for each of the team’s rookie lottery picks. Brink finished with 11 points, three rebounds and two blocks, while Jackson finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Both played about 20 minutes in the game.
It is not a surprise that the Sparks have rookies impressing right away. Brink provides prior winning experience and two-way tools that led to a decorated career at Stanford. She is an NCAA national champion, a two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year, a three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. This past season, Brink was the NCAA Division I women’s basketball leader in total blocks and BPG, and finished top five in total rebounds and RPG. She is also more than capable of knocking down the long-range shot. Jackson spent the last two years at Tennessee after transferring from Mississippi State, and instead of entering last year’s WNBA Draft, Jackson decided to play one more year of college basketball. She saw her averages improve in points (19.2 PPG to 20.2 PPG), rebounds (6.1 RPG to 8.2 RPG) and assists (1.4 APG to 2.3 APG). Not only does Jackson provide a punch with her three-level scoring capability, but she is also a versatile defender and can help crash the glass for rebounds.
Jackson and Brink can assist with maintaining the team’s defensive disruptiveness in the form of creating turnovers. Last season, the Sparks led the league with 8.5 steals per game (SPG), and Jordin Canada was the individual league leader with 2.3 SPG. Defensively, Jackson and Brink’s size and length will provide additional resistance against opposing offenses. They can also help with rim protection along with rebounding, which are two areas that took a hit with Ogwumike’s departure and an injury to Azurá Stevens that will sideline her for the start of the season.
Additionally, Forbes should not get lost in the shuffle because of when she was drafted. She was the second-leading scorer on a USC team that featured first-year phenom JuJu Watkins, and admirably proved she could step up when defenses aimed to stop Watkins. Forbes’ performance in the Pac-12 championship game against Brink’s Stanford is an example of that; Forbes scored 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field (four-of-eight from three-point range) and led her team to a 74-61 victory over Stanford to win the Pac-12 tournament. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Forbes is able to score on all three levels, and her pull-up three-point shot in transition is a thing of beauty. She can certainly serve as another perimeter shooting threat, alongside other potent shooters like Lexie Brown and the newly-acquired Kia Nurse.
Los Angeles’ newest rookies are talented offensive players who can make up for the scoring punch that the team lost with the departures of Ogwumike and Canada this offseason. Each are able to cause havoc for defenses with their adept ability to score in the interior or near the rim, similar to the past Sparks greats who came before them.
At Sparks media day, HC Curt Miller says most of the players’ heads are spinning with new terminology and new system, but he praised the 3 rookies Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and McKenzie Forbes. Of the former @USCWBB star: “Kenzie is beyond her years in basketball knowledge.”
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) May 1, 2024
In one draft, the Sparks brought in alums of Stanford, Tennessee and USC. It is quite fitting, considering that the three greatest Sparks’ players came from those exact same three schools (Ogwumike – Stanford, Parker – Tennessee, Leslie – USC). Leslie became the team’s first face of the franchise before passing the torch down to Parker, and then Ogwumike. Is this a sign that the Sparks’ latest draft class will continue their legacy?
It’s uncertain what the future holds for the Sparks and their newly acquired draft picks, but what is clear is that the Sparks have made the commitment to restore order and make winning basketball synonymous with the franchise once again.
The grand shift in Los Angeles has arrived: the transition from a period with Sparks legends to an exciting one with young, talented, and budding stars. In the city known for Hollywood, the Sparks will have a new opportunity to shine under the lights and turn their next script for success into reality.
All stats through the 2023 season. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of WNBA.com.
