In a not-too-different timeline, Paige Bueckers is donning the purple and gold Sparks jersey and leading the franchise into a new era.
Instead, fans will be restricted to watching her dominate inside Crypto.com Arena in glimpses each season.
On Friday, Bueckers had yet another dominant game in Los Angeles, scoring 18 points while dishing out a career-high 14 assists, helping guide the Wings to a 104-96 win for their seventh victory of the season. After the game, she spoke about playing inside the arena
formerly known as Staples Center and the feeling that comes with it.
The 2025 WNBA draft lottery is going to be a lasting sliding doors moment for the Sparks. The roster and franchise were crying out for a superstar point guard and they entered the lottery with the best odds at landing the No. 1 pick and Bueckers.
Fate intervened, the Sparks dropped to No. 2 and their pivot saw them trade away the pick for Kelsey Plum, the first domino in a host of changes the franchise has undergone since.
Bueckers, meanwhile, has done nothing but make the pain of missing out on her sting even more simply through her play. In her first visit to Los Angeles in her rookie campaign, she poured in 44 points on 17-21 shooting.
Outside of those two outings, she unanimously won Rookie of the Year and is on an All-WNBA pace early this season. The Sparks, meanwhile, missed the playoffs last year, though only narrowly, and now are off to a 4-6 start after making a series of win-now moves this summer.
Bueckers and the Sparks may not always be linked, but it does look like she’ll represent a “what if” that the franchise will have to grapple with for years.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
