Last November, gathered along the concourse of Crypto.com Arena, newly appointed Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts issued a clear directive on her first day for the 2025 season: to win. A tall order coming off the worst season in franchise history.
Seated beside her, general manager Raegan Pebley, certain she had chosen the right leader to revive a franchise that had tumbled far from its championship standard, echoed Roberts’ belief.
Five months later, back on that very concourse, Roberts’ message remained unmistakable: “We’re not just happy to be here. … We want to compete, and every time we put on that jersey, we want to win.”
The message, trickling down from the Sparks’ front office to the coaching staff to the players, is unified — it’s not a rebuild, nor a restart, but a reclamation.
After years of decline, an offseason injection of capital followed by a franchise-altering trade and the signing (and re-signing) of championship-experienced veterans, signaled a push to restore the reputation of a flagship WNBA team in one of the league’s marquee markets.
While desire alone won’t guarantee victories, especially for a team with just eight last season, this season has already started on a promising note with a dominant 84-67 victory that spoiled the expansion Golden State Valkyries’ first regular-season game on Friday.
With last year behind them, the focus is on ending a four-year playoff drought.
“I haven’t been shy about saying I want to make the playoffs,” Roberts said on what first-year success looks like. “With the roster we have, we can. Is it going to be hard? Yeah, climbing is hard. Changing things is hard.”
For a reclamation to take hold and a climb back into playoff relevance to become a reality, the Sparks will rely on the dogged leadership of their newest star, Kelsey Plum, acquired in a three-team trade in January. The fiery floor general is not just here to run the point. She’s here to lead.
A fresh voice on the team, Plum brings a superstar stature to complement fellow All-Star Dearica Hamby. Their reunion is a full-circle moment. After six seasons and a championship together in Las Vegas, they’re back on the same side, this time with something to prove in L.A.
“It’s no mystery that they’re our best players, and when your best players are also your hardest workers, they lead by trying to empower,” Roberts said. “The most impactful part is that they do it without ego. They’re very confident. … It’s impossible as a young player not to be affected by that. … But it’s in a way that’s never threatening or intimidating.”
This season, the team will lean on the duo’s championship pedigree, counting on them to instill the mindset and habits of a winning culture. So far, the two have led in different but equally impactful ways.
In stepping into a new leadership role, Plum sets the tone with fierce competitiveness, pushing younger teammates through example and empowerment. Hamby counters with understanding and steadiness, serving as a calming presence and mentor. This dichotomy of leadership styles could prove instrumental in a locker room filled with rookies and rising stars.
Plum arrives with an impressive list of accolades — two-time champion, three-time All-Star, Sixth Woman of the Year, Olympic gold medalist. Those credentials could easily stoke ego or entitlement, but by all accounts, her demeanor in the locker room is anything but that. Teammates describe her as grounded and approachable. They’ve quickly rallied behind her.
“I enjoy coming to work every day,” said forward Rickea Jackson, entering her second season. “To be part of something like this, it’s a breath of fresh air. Some people try to overstep or be a stickler, but she [Plum] does just enough. She says just enough. Her energy speaks for itself — she doesn’t have to feel like she has to go out and get respect.”
For Plum, this season is about fulfilling the blueprint Pebley and Roberts outlined in their first conversation. Their shared commitment to restoring the Sparks’ championship standard — something the franchise hasn’t lived up to in nearly a decade — convinced Plum to approve the trade months ago.
“Everything starts and ends with vision — you operate out of a vision,” Plum said. “In life, you’ve got to adapt and continue to grow and get better. And I understand there’s been a lull here, and everyone’s aware of that. … I’m here to not only build culture, but affect winning, and I think they’re on the same trajectory.”
After years of contributing to championship-caliber teams, Plum is champing at the bit to lead her own squad. She believes that focusing on executing the game plan and driving team success will naturally lead to individual accolades.
“There are a lot of players who can put up empty stats, but for me, it’s about how I can help this team win,” Plum said. “I understand where we were last year, and my goal is to significantly change that.”
Statistically, Hamby and Plum rank among the WNBA’s elite duos. Last season, Hamby led the team, averaging 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Plum brings added offensive depth with a top-10 scoring average (17.8 points) and precision shooting from beyond the arc — she was third in the league with 110 made three-pointers.
After one game, the two are already thriving under Roberts’ new system, which stresses freedom — freedom to stretch the floor, create more open three-point opportunities and boost offensive output through a “positionless” approach. Plum scored 37 points — the most ever in a WNBA season opener — while Hamby recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against the Valkyries.
“It’s clear they have on-court chemistry,” Roberts said. “They’re not afraid to use their voice. … I can call something, and then those two are kind of whispering about how they’re going to run an audible, and it almost always works.”
As a team, everyone from decade-long veterans such as Plum and Hamby to rookies Sarah Ashlee Barker and Sania Feagin, is learning the system together, fostering a shared urgency to get on the same page and reap the benefits of a reset.
“I feel like we are ahead of the curve in terms of our newness,” said Jackson of the reimagined Sparks. “Everyone’s a hooper, everybody’s a dog. You can tell we just want to win at the end of the day… We hold each other accountable, and no one takes it personally.”
At their core, the Sparks are a youthful roster. Jackson, Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell — all under 25 — were starters last season and represent the foundation of the team’s future.
For now, Jackson appears poised to take a step forward from the start. She spent the offseason sharpening her skills in Unrivaled, the women’s professional three-on-three basketball league.
Jackson’s play has many picking her as the WNBA’s next breakout star — a high bar that comes with even higher pressure for last year’s No. 4 overall draft pick. A standout from one of the deeper draft classes in recent memory, Jackson is expected to ascend from rookie starter to potential All-Star.
Burrell also benefited from Unrivaled, but she suffered an apparent knee injury in Friday’s opener against the Valkyries and had to be carried off the court by teammates. It’s unclear how much time she could miss, but it might be significant.
Brink, Jackson’s rookie classmate, is still rehabbing from aknee injury. On media day, she offered a positive update, saying she feels confident about her recovery.
Barring setbacks, Brink is expected back around the All-Star break in mid-July. She participated in parts of training camp, building chemistry with Plum, but was occasionally absent and seen in a walking boot due to “foot discomfort,” per the team. The organization remains cautious in its approach and says Brink “continues to move in a positive direction.”
Azurá Stevens is stepping up to fill the frontcourt gap in Brink’s absence. A former champion with the Chicago Sky, now in her second stint in L.A., Stevens also competed in Unrivaled this offseason. She helped lead Rose BC to the inaugural championship.
Pebley and Roberts shaped the roster through close collaboration. While they aligned on many decisions and diverged on others, Pebley says every move stemmed from open dialogue and thoughtful debate.
Now in her second year as GM, Pebley is intrinsically linked to Roberts, with their roster-building synergy central to the team’s foundation. A unified approach is believed to give Roberts, an accomplished leader with 27 years of college coaching experience but new to the pros, the best chance to succeed in her first WNBA season and years to come.
“We are really working hard to make sure that we’re building to a win-now mentality, but also win in the future,” Pebley said. “And there’s a balance. … There’s a lot of thoughtfulness that has to go into all of these decisions to make that happen.”
Against the Valkyries, the starting lineup featured Plum — the lone newcomer — alongside 12-year veteran Odyssey Sims in the backcourt, Jackson and Hamby at forward with Stevens anchoring the frontcourt. The plan is to stick with this lineup until Brink returns.
Winning is at the forefront this season. The hope is that the organization has built a roster around Plum and Hamby, a pair of All-Stars capable leading the team on a postseason run. .
Plum is ready for the task.
“I was put in this position to be able to carry a heavier load,” Plum said. “And I have broad shoulders.”
The post It’s not a rebuild for the Sparks, who look to contend now appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
