2021 Los Angeles Sparks season | |
---|---|
Coach | Derek Fisher |
Arena | Los Angeles Convention Center Staples Center |
Attendance | 1,221 per game |
Results | |
Record | 12–20 (.375) |
Place | 6th (Western) |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Team Leaders | |
Points | Nneka Ogwumike – 14.5 ppg |
Rebounds | Nneka Ogwumike – 6.5 rpg |
Assists | Erica Wheeler – 4.8 apg |
Media | |
Television | Spectrum SportsNet ESPN2, CBSSN, NBATV |
The 2021 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 14, 2021, versus the Dallas Wings. [1]
The Sparks split time in two arenas during the 2021 season. They played at the Los Angeles Convention Center from May until July and then played at the Staples Center after the league took its Olympic break. [2]
The Sparks started the season slowly, losing the first two games. However, they won the next two to finish May with a 2–2 record. June proved difficult, as the team couldn't sustain a winning streak, as wins were followed by two losses frequently. They finished June 4–7 and 6–9 overall. The Sparks went into the Olympic break on a low note when they lost all four games in July. After the break, a favorable schedule contributed to a four-game winning streak to begin the August schedule, with wins over Indiana and Atlanta who finished in the bottom two of the final regular season standings. Once the winning streak ended, the Sparks lost six straight games to slide to 10–19 going into the final three games of the season. Despite winning two of the last three, a final day loss meant the Sparks finished outside the playoff places with a 12–20 overall record.
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Jasmine Walker | United States | Alabama |
1 | 10 | Stephanie Watts | United States | North Carolina |
2 | 22 | Arella Guirantes | Puerto Rico | Rutgers |
3 | 28 | Ivana Raca | Serbia | Wake Forest |
3 | 34 | Aina Ayuso | Spain | Casademont Zaragoza (Spain) |
Date | Details | |
---|---|---|
December 31, 2020 | Renounced rights to G Ángela Salvadores [3] | |
January 6, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offers to G Brittney Sykes and C Marianna Tolo [4] | |
January 7, 2021 | Extended Qualifying Offer to G Te'a Cooper [5] | |
January 11, 2021 | Re-Signed G Te'a Cooper [6] | |
January 13, 2021 | Cored F Nneka Ogwumike [7] | |
February 2, 2021 | Signed G Erica Wheeler [8] | |
February 8, 2021 | Re-Signed G Brittney Sykes [9] | |
February 11, 2021 | Signed C Amanda Zahui B. [10] | |
February 19, 2021 | Signed G Bria Holmes [11] | |
February 22, 2021 | Re-Signed G/F Seimone Augustus [12] | |
February 25, 2021 | Re-Signed F/C Chiney Ogwumike [13] | |
March 2, 2021 | Re-Signed F Nneka Ogwumike [14] | |
March 4, 2021 | Signed G Nia Coffey to a Training Camp Contract [15] | |
March 16, 2021 | Waived C Marie Gülich [16] | |
April 14, 2021 | Acquired the 7th pick in the 2021 WNBA draft and Dallas's 2md Round pick in the 2022 WNBA draft in exchange for the Sparks' 2022 1st Round pick. [17] | |
April 18, 2021 | Waived G Tierra Ruffin-Pratt [18] | |
April 19, 2021 | Signed G Stephanie Watts to a Rookie Scale Contract [19] | |
April 20, 2021 | Signed F Jasmine Walker to a Rookie Scale Contract [20] | |
May 6, 2021 | Signed G Arella Guirantes to a Rookie Scale Contract [21] | |
May 9, 2021 | Traded G Stephanie Watts and the rights to G Leonie Fiebich to Chicago in exchange for G/F Gabby Williams [22] | |
May 13, 2021 | G Seimone Augustus retires and is named an Assistant Coach [23] | |
Traded G Sydney Wiese to Washington in exchange for a 2022 2nd Round Pick. [24] | ||
Waived F Kristine Anigwe. [25] | ||
Temporarily Suspend C Maria Vadeeva. [26] | ||
May 14, 2021 | Signed G/F Gabby Williams to a Contract Extension [27] | |
June 4, 2021 | Signed G Karlie Samuelson and C Kristine Anigwe to Hardship Contracts [28] | |
June 28, 2021 | Released C Kristine Anigwe from the Hardship Contract and Waived G Bria Holmes [29] | |
June 29, 2021 | Released G Karlie Samuelson from the Hardship Contract [30] | |
June 30, 2021 | Signed C Lauren Cox [31] | |
Signed G Karlie Samuelson to a Hardship Contract [32] | ||
Signed G Bria Holmes to a Hardship Contract [33] | ||
August 3, 2021 | Terminated the Hardship Contracts of Bria Holmes and Karlie Samuelson [34] | |
Signed G Karlie Samuelson to a 7-Day Contract [35] |
2021 Los Angeles Sparks roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2021 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 1–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0)
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2021 pre-season schedule |
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | x – Connecticut Sun | 26 | 6 | .813 | – | 12–3 | 15–1 | 11–5 | 9–1 |
2 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 24 | 8 | .750 | 2 | 11–4 | 13–3 | 11–5 | 6–4 |
3 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 22 | 10 | .688 | 4 | 10–5 | 13–3 | 9–7 | 7–3 |
4 | x – Seattle Storm | 21 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 9–6 | 11–5 | 10–6 | 8–2 |
5 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 13 | .594 | 7 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 12–4 | 5–5 |
6 | x – Chicago Sky | 16 | 16 | .500 | 10 | 10–5 | 6–10 | 10–6 | 6–4 |
7 | x – Dallas Wings | 14 | 18 | .438 | 12 | 7–8 | 7–9 | 7–9 | 3–7 |
8 | x – New York Liberty | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 6–9 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 5–5 |
9 | e – Washington Mystics | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 7–8 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
10 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 12 | 20 | .375 | 14 | 2–13 | 8–8 | 4–12 | 1–9 |
11 | e – Atlanta Dream | 8 | 24 | .250 | 18 | 6–9 | 4–12 | 4–12 | 4–6 |
12 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 26 | .188 | 20 | 4–11 | 4–12 | 2–14 | 2–8 |
Notes
Legend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader |
Source: [36]
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nneka Ogwumike | 18 | 18 | 31.7 | 53.2 | 36.7 | 80.0 | 6.5 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 14.5 |
Erica Wheeler | 32 | 32 | 30.2 | 41.7 | 35.5 | 82.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 13.6 |
Kristi Toliver | 19 | 19 | 27.6 | 41.4 | 33.7 | 84.2 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 9.4 |
Brittney Sykes | 32 | 20 | 29.3 | 40.5 | 26.2 | 77.2 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 9.4 |
Amanda Zahui B | 30 | 27 | 23.8 | 42.7 | 28.0 | 76.7 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 9.2 |
Te'a Cooper | 31 | 13 | 22.0 | 37.9 | 32.4 | 75.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 9.1 |
Nia Coffey | 32 | 17 | 25.2 | 42.1 | 41.7 | 77.8 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 8.3 |
Chiney Ogwumike | 7 | 3 | 19.1 | 40.8 | 75.0 | 75.0 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 7.0 |
Lauren Cox | 15 | 0 | 14.0 | 41.3 | 20.0 | 77.8 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 3.5 |
Arella Guirantes | 25 | 2 | 11.6 | 27.4 | 22.2 | 80.8 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 3.2 |
Jasmine Walker | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Maria Vadeeva | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Brittney Sykes | WNBA All-Defensive First Team | September 26 | [37] |
Nneka Ogwumike | Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | October 3 | [38] |
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