Los Angeles Sparks 2024 Season Preview

Ahead of an exciting 2024 season, we take a look at the Los Angeles Sparks roster to offer some insight and preview their role.

The NBA season is over for both the Lakers and Clippers, but that doesn’t mean professional basketball is done until the fall in Los Angeles. The Sparks are kicking off their 2024 season on May 15 against the Atlanta Dream and if you need a refresher or are one of the many people just getting into the WNBA, we've got you covered with a preview of every player on the roster.

But first, here are some quick facts for those uninitiated with the W.

Quick WNBA Facts

The WNBA season begins in May and ends in September. Each team plays 40 games and yes, just like the NBA, they have an In-Season Tournament; in fact, the concept began in the WNBA and it’s called the Commissioner’s Cup.

The WNBA has had this Cup for four years now. This year, it will take place for two weeks in June and end with the Eastern and Western Conference leaders facing each other at the home of the higher seed in the Final on Jun. 25.

For the postseason, eight of the 12 teams in the league qualify and conferences do not matter. Despite the majority of the league making the postseason, the Sparks have failed to participate in playoff basketball for three seasons, the longest streak in franchise history.

Roster

The WNBA roster has a maximum of 12 players, but each team must have at least 11. At the time of this publication, the Sparks are in training camp and have 17 players representing the team. So, according to league rules, at least five will have to be cut by May. 13.

Okay, now let’s introduce you to your 2024 L.A. Sparks.

Cameron Brink

Brink is the rookie darling on the team. She was drafted with the No. 2 pick by the Sparks in this year’s draft, a class considered one of the best ever in women’s basketball.

Her list of accolades at Stanford is even longer than her 6’4 frame and includes her being named the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. She averaged 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in her senior season and will undoubtedly be a player to watch and a Rookie of the Year contender.

It is unknown how many wins the Sparks can get and how high up the standings they can go, but the development of Brink might be more important than wins and losses for Los Angeles this season.

Rickea Jackson

The Sparks had two lottery picks in the draft and used their second on Jackson from Tennessee. The Lady Vol was a certified bucket, scoring 20.8 points and grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior. The 6’2 wing will provide the size and athleticism the Sparks desperately need.

Lexie Brown

Brown had the best start to a season of her career but only played in 12 games due to ongoing health issues that eventually led to a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. She’s back and ready to play this season, having participated in Athletes Unlimted during the WNBA offseason.

If she can replicate her 41% shooting from 3-point range in 2023 and extrapolate it to 2024, the sky is the limit for Brown. She will likely be a starter on this team and, if her play continues to progress forward, a player with All-Star potential.

Zia Cooke

The sophomore Cooke will likely have a bigger role with veterans like Jordin Canada no longer on the team. In her rookie season, she averaged just 14.1 minutes per contest but played in all but one game. If she improves her 3-point shooting and increases her assist numbers, a backup role and perhaps even a spot in the starting lineup are on the table for Cooke.

Dearica Hamby

Hamby had an impressive 2023 season, joining the team after just three months post-pregnancy and playing all 40 games. With an entire offseason to hopefully return to her 2022 All-Star form, Hamby is set up to have a stellar season in Year 2 of the Curt Miller era.

Stephanie Talbot

Talbot is entering her sixth year in the WNBA. She signed a two-year deal with the Sparks back in 2023 but missed last season in Los Angeles due to a torn ACL she suffered while playing overseas for the Adelaide Lightning.

She has produced modest career numbers of 4.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, so don’t expect much more than a respectable veteran guard who can play a shift or two.

Kia Nurse

The Sparks traded for Nurse this offseason, so expect her to get significant playing time, especially early on. Her production has dipped every season since 2019, but perhaps a new team will be a breath of fresh air she needs to have a bounce-back season.

Rae Burrell

We haven’t seen the best Burrell has to offer at the professional level. A knee injury in her rookie season limited her to three games. In her second season, she played in 29 games but had many players ahead of her in the rotation.

With so much turnover from last year, the list of players definitively better than Burrell on the team has shrunk. With a good 2024 campaign, Burrell will have a chance to establish herself on this roster and in the league.

If all goes well, she’ll crush her career averages in points, 3.4 and rebounds, 1.2.

Blake Dietrick

Dietrick has bounced around the league; her latest stop is Los Angeles. She signed on to a training camp contract and is one of those fringe players fighting to make the team.

Aari McDonald

Let me know if you know anyone selling their McDonald's stock because I’m buying. Her 8.6 points and 2.0 rebounds are modest numbers, but I think under Miller’s system, she’ll be able to maximize her ability as a guard fully and is in for a big season.

Julie Allemand

The Sparks traded away their No. 8 pick in this year’s draft to acquire Allemand and Li Yueru. With this team needing to rebuild, trading away this pick demonstrates their belief that these two players will have a significant impact on the team.

If you’re looking forward to Allemand’s debut, you’ll have to wait as she is still rehabbing an ankle injury.

Azurá Stevens

Stevens' first season in Los Angeles saw her average 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 26 minutes of play. Some still are optimistic she has an even higher ceiling, but given that she’s entering her seventh season, I think she is what she is: a good rotation player who should get more time if the matchup works for her or she gets hot in a game.

Nia Clouden

Clouden was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the No. 12 pick in the 2023 draft and waived after her rookie season. While this would be unfathomable in the NBA unless a major issue occurred with the player, it is a common occurrence in the WNBA.

Now she’s in L.A. and under coach Miller, the optimism lies in the guard taking a more substantial leap in improvement in a different environment.

Layhsia Clarendon

Clarendon is the veteran guard of this team and they’ll be a critical voice in the locker room, demonstrating what it takes to be a pro and survive in this brutal league.

They won’t just be a voice on the roster, Clarendon can still play. Last season, they averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game and will likely be a starter to begin the year.

Personally, I hope one of the younger guards plays well enough to take that spot from them at some point in 2024, but that’s more because I want to see the youth develop and not an indictment of Clarendon’s game.

Li Yueru

Yueru has played in China and if she remains on the roster, this would be her first full season in the WNBA. Head coach Miller certainly seems to think she has potential as a starter in this league saying as much during Media Day regarding the big.

McKenzie Forbes

Forbes was the other draftee for the Sparks taken with the No. 26 pick. She’s on the fringe regarding staying on the roster, but it’d be a great story if the USC Trojan can remain in Southern California and continue her basketball life as a Spark.

Monique Billings

Billings has played her entire career with the Atlanta Dream. Last season with the Dream, she averaged 16.7 minutes, 4.8 points, and 5.0 rebounds. These are not exactly eye-popping numbers, but she is a respectable player who can be a veteran on this roster.

This season, there’s a lot of optimism that with young talent like Brink and Rickea and rising stars like Brown and Hamby, the Sparks can make a splash and be a playoff team that’ll be tough to eliminate.

Miller has proven successful in building competitive, quality teams, just like he did year in and year out in Connecticut. The question is, will this season start to show that progress, or does this rebuild need another year before we start to see improvement in the win-loss column?

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.