Sparks ready to take it to next level
TORRANCE, CA – The Sparks reiterated on Media Day on what we already all know.
Clad in the retro jerseys that helped usher in a revolutionary league, the Sparks players gave a new hope for a franchise that has not made the playoffs since 2020, the Wubble year.
“I think our depth and our talent is immense this year and the mission is very clear from everyone on this team,” Sparks guard Kelsey Plum said. “It's been great to jump into training camp. I'm very excited about the hunger and the sense of urgency that we have and we want to win now.”
Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley has said that the team was built for winning that elusive title.
“We assembled this team to put ourselves in a position that we believe would commit to the process and has the capacity to go to the championship,” Pebley said. “What you know in sports is that you have to surrender to that result. You have to commit to a process. There's so many things that can happen during the course of the season but what I love about this group is we have a lot of people who have won a championship, who know what it takes to win. They understand the on-court elements that are required to do that. They understand the preparation you have to do off the court. They understand how you have to eliminate distractions and what tiny little thread when you start pulling at can become a really big distraction. A lot of that comes with experience, obviously.
“We have an experienced veteran in the group but we also have some young pieces that I think have a chance to really continue to grow and learn from that group,” Pebley continued. “I'm really looking forward to this season. I felt encouraged thus far with the chemistry of this team.”
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts loves the group that’s been put together.
“(GM Raegan Pebley) and her did a really good job in free agency,” Roberts said. “But you don’t want to be too heavy one way. Too many vets, not enough youth… too much youth, not enough vets. And I think we have a great balance of that.
“When you’re talking about Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby , Nneka (Ogwumike), Erica Wheeler , Ariel Atkins , those guys are respected and they’re all about winning. So they understand the importance of bringing those young guys along and coaching them up and encouraging and challenging and all those things. My objective is always to have a player-led team.”
Roberts finished her statement on the subject with, “The vets that we have are professional. They want to be in L.A. They want to win. And winning is the most important thing to them and to me.”
What Roberts really liked is the flexibility and the adaptability of her players. When asked about playing Ogwumike and Hamby together as they typically play the same position, the Sparks head coach sees things differently.
“What I love in players is versatility,” Roberts stated. “It’s someone that can play the one and the two. Someone that can play the two and the three, three and the four. And I think Nneka and Dearica can play the four and the five. I think what it’s going to do is take some pressure off Dearica for us to win. She doesn’t have to score 25. Now she’s gonna… she’s going to have the moments but Nneka is going to take some of that pressure. It gives us more versatility offensively and defensively, and I think versatility is really hard to beat. So I don't see them as competing in the same spot; I see them as complimenting each other in a system that plays to versatility.”
While they sped up the acceleration of the building of this team, they haven’t completely abandoned the youth movement. There’s a lot of anticipation for Cameron Brink’s third season.
“She’s healthy, she’s confident, and she’s strong,” Roberts said about Brink. “She looks as good as I think she could look. But she’s not on a team where she’s got to produce 20 and 10 every night and not get in foul trouble.
“I think you’re going to see her hit her stride this year. Really excited about her and her headspace and where she’s at.”
“I’m very excited for this year,” Brink said. “I feel like we have so many amazing pieces that I’m asked a lot what my goals are for this year but it’s just purely to win, to be a great teammate, to learn from all my amazing vets. So I think my motto this year is to just to play basketball, just to hoop and keep it simple.”
That youth movement also includes second-year frontcourt player Sania Feagin and second round draft picks Ta’Niya Latson and Chance Gray.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 30, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Sparks guard Ta'Niya Latson (0) poses during media day at El Camino College.
“Something I’ll add is the rookies and the young players have really impressed me,” Plum said. “Ta’Niya Latson is picking me up 94 feet, chokehold grabbing me on screens. It’s like, ‘This is awesome!’ I’m just super excited.
“Chance Gray hit three game-winners the other day in practice. It just shows you they’re fearless, they’re ready for this moment, and I’m just really looking forward to getting out there and playing in live play. I think they’re going to be great for us.”
“Making that transition from Florida State going to South Carolina, it was intentional,” Latson said. “I wanted to become a better two-way player, especially defensively. And I feel like I’ve been doing that. So just going into camp, I just come in confidence and try to pick up and be a dog.”
Feagin pointed to her play overseas in the offseason in terms of getting better.
“I feel like overseas has helped me build my confidence mentally, physically as well,” Feagin admitted. “Just being stronger, being dominant, being a force in the paint. I say overseas helped me with my confidence a lot and my mental because basketball is 99 percent mental.”
With a mix of veterans that have gone through the battles and exuberant youth, the Sparks promise to be a very intriguing team going into the 2026 season. And that’s not even mentioning much the return of Sparks legend Nneka Ogwumike, who is still getting it done as she goes into her 15th season in the league. Plum (two rings in Vegas), Hamby (one ring in Vegas), Atkins (one ring in D.C.), and Ogwumike (one ring here in L.A.) have all been to the summit. And they think it’s due time they return the Sparks to that promised land.
The retro jerseys that they wore reminded us of the time when the WNBA proclaimed, “We Got Next!” in their initial campaign.
But with the way the team has been built and the sense of urgency they seem to have, maybe the Sparks are really saying, “We Got Now.”
