Sparks end the season with sunflower roster

The Pain That Built a Foundation

The Los Angeles Sparks’ 2025 season ended not with silence, but with a reminder—progress hurts, but it matters. From 8–32 a year ago to 21–22 this season, the Sparks nearly tripled their win total under first-year head coach Lynne Roberts. A rookie herself, Roberts exceeded expectations by reshaping a struggling franchise into a competitive group that fought until the end. Still, the Sparks fell short of the playoffs, closing the year with a 103–75 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Even with the sting of elimination, this season left behind something L.A. hasn’t had in a while: a foundation worth building on.

Growth Through Adversity

The Sparks began the season slowly, adjusting not only to a new coach but also to a new identity. Roberts brought a system that blended structure with freedom, allowing players to lean into what they do best. For veterans, that meant a chance to thrive in their roles. For younger players, it meant room to grow—but also highlighted where player development still lagged.

Adversity struck early and often. Injuries reshuffled rotations, testing depth. Close games slipped away, especially at home, where the Sparks dropped stretches they later admitted they “should have won.” And yet, accountability remained. They didn’t point fingers—they recognized that every lost possession or missed opportunity could make the difference in a playoff race.

Despite those challenges, the Sparks nearly tripled their win total from the season before. In Roberts’ first year, accountability and belief became as much a part of the system as the X’s and O’s.

Emma Cannon: The Voice Before the Game

Before the Sparks tipped off in Las Vegas, veteran forward Emma Cannon set the tone in our pregame conversation. She didn’t dwell on the “what ifs” of the season; instead, she framed the journey through perspective.

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda—but everything happens for a reason. There’s lessons behind losses. We learned a lot, we built a lot, we came together a lot.”

Her words carried into the night. Even as the Sparks faced elimination against the defending champs, Cannon’s voice reminded that the season was about more than a box score. It was about laying bricks for the future—a foundation that teammates and coaches later echoed in their exit interviews.

Sticking to the Script

Heading into the final stretch, the Sparks knew the path: win their last five games to finish 23–21 and lean on tiebreakers they held over both Indiana and Seattle. The math was simple, but the execution was anything but.

Unlike some teams who could look to the future through the draft, Los Angeles had no lottery cushion waiting for them. Their 2026 first-round pick was already traded to Seattle in the Kia Nurse deal, which meant the only way to control their fate was to win now. Every loss cut deeper, because there was no fallback plan.

Instead of a clean sweep, the Sparks stumbled, dropping both games in Atlanta—a setback that proved fatal. They rebounded with an emphatic 91–77 win over the Dallas Wings, where Julie Allemand’s flawless 8-for-8 night led the way and Dearica Hamby contributed 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Rae Burrell added 13 off the bench, and the Sparks looked like the balanced group they had been chasing all year.

They followed with a gritty 87–83 win in Phoenix, keeping faint playoff hopes alive. But ultimately, the loss to the Aces and Seattle’s clinching win shut the door.

Had the Sparks “stuck to the script,” they would have entered the finale at 23–21, tied with the Storm. Thanks to their 3–1 season-series edge over Seattle, Los Angeles would have claimed the eighth seed. The difference between 21–22 and 23–21 was more than two wins—it was the line between elimination and survival, and proof of why winning those final games wasn’t optional—it was the only path forward.

Lessons Learned

The Sparks’ season was defined as much by what they did right as by the opportunities they let slip. The narrow 76–75 loss to Indiana on August 29 and the two defeats to Atlanta were reminders that in the WNBA, margins are razor-thin.

Questions linger: Could the bench have contributed more consistently? Could player development have been accelerated for the younger talent? Could different rotations have helped close out tight games? These aren’t criticisms of effort—this team fought. They’re acknowledgements that execution in detail separates playoff teams from the rest.

Veterans like Kelsey Plum admitted to holding themselves to the highest standards. That mix of frustration and growth defines the Sparks’ 2025 season.

The Future

Exit interviews didn’t sound like a team fractured by missing the playoffs. They sounded like a group aligning around accountability and growth.

Kelsey Plum admitted she’s still learning how to lead as the “head of the snake,” saying her offseason focus will be on efficiency and carrying a sharper leadership voice.

Dearica Hamby pointed to culture as a slow burn, not an overnight fix. She credited the fans for pushing the Sparks to the WNBA’s fourth-best attendance this season and said the second-half surge reflected the standards the team has been working to set.

Rickea Jackson was candid: “Next year is really the year.” She credited veterans like Emma Cannon and rookie Sania Feagin for helping her steady her voice and grow into her role.

Rae Burrell explained how Roberts’ trust finally allowed her to be herself again: “I was finally able to be me.”

The Julie Allemand / Julie Vanloo pairing, though not used as much as they hoped, still symbolized the team’s new tone—joy, steadiness, and composure. Both want to be back in L.A., and both see room for growth in Year 2 of Roberts’ system.

Together, the message was clear: the Sparks’ future is about holding onto standards, developing chemistry, and finding another gear defensively. The weight of the next step will be carried collectively—by the vets, the youth, and a coach learning how to turn culture into results.

Closing Thoughts

That veteran presence Cannon spoke about pregame was echoed again afterward. Both GM Reagan Pebley and coach Lynne Roberts singled her out as a culture anchor, crediting her with steadying the locker room through the grind.

Pebley widened the lens further, highlighting the Sparks’ fourth-best record since July 4 and repeating her mantra: “Standards before status.” Roberts admitted her rookie coaching season sharpened her approach, particularly teaching through film without practice windows: “Pros have opinions — you better be sure of what you’re saying.”

Pebley also called Kelsey Plum the best pickup the Sparks made this year, and her confidence carried into her closing remarks: “There’s something big coming. Just be patient.” That patience will be tested quickly, with both Plum and Dearica Hamby hitting free agency this offseason. Whether the team’s two cornerstones return will shape the next era of Sparks basketball.

The Julie-Julie pairing will spend the offseason playing overseas together, both expressing a desire to return to L.A. with more minutes and more impact. But questions remain: who else will be back, and who will Roberts and Pebley add to push this roster over the line?

Pebley stressed that the offseason won’t be about panic moves. Instead, the Sparks will lean on continuity where it matters and upgrades where it’s needed. The challenge ahead isn’t about lottery luck — it’s about building smart, keeping the right pieces, and finding the defensive edge that can push this roster into the postseason.

This year wasn’t about shortcuts. It was about standards. From eight wins to 21, from last place to a team that finished with the WNBA’s fourth-best record after July 4, the Sparks built accountability into their DNA. Like a sunflower turning toward the light, this team found its direction — steady, persistent, and rooted. The offseason ahead will decide how those seeds are watered, and if the foundation Roberts, Pebley, and the locker room keep referencing can finally grow into a playoff run.

Planting accomplished. Harvest pending.

Featured Image: Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Sparks guard Julie Allemand (20) tries to dribble around a Phoenix Mercury defender during an WNBA game played at Crypto.com Arena on June 1, 2025. In 35 minutes of action, Allemand scored zero points in the Sparks’ 85-80 loss to the Mercury. Photo credit: Carlos Jones/News4usOnline