This WNBA offseason was a whirlwind, featuring a lengthy negotiation over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) followed by a massive free agency pool and a draft.
The dust has settled and the Sparks have created a roster that’s built to win right now.
They’ve brought back the best parts of last year’s team, including Kelsey Plum, who took less than the supermax to bring in quality veterans like Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler as the franchise hopes to end its five-year playoff drought.
LA also
made some big decisions, like trading Rickea Jackson for Ariel Atkins, which was controversial because Jackson is a young player and a fan favorite.
Before regular season action begins, let’s take a look at the entire roster, which features 13 players, including a development spot, which is new to the league this season.
Returning core
Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Rae Burrell, Cam Brink
The heart of the 2025 Sparks has returned. Plum is still the All-Star starting point guard, who averaged 19.5 points and 5.7 assists last year.
Dearica Hamby is also back. The big is consistently flirting with double-doubles, averaging 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds last season.
Rae Burrell is expected to be a starter, which is a nice promotion for the five-year player who has been a reserve her entire career. And while Cameron Brink is likely coming off the bench with Nneka back, she is healthy and ready to demonstrate more of the defensive upside, along with an offensive uptick.
Brink tore her ACL, ending her 2024 rookie season after just 15 games. She returned in the middle of last season, playing in 19 games. Now, she’s healthy for the first time in years.
Familiar Faces
Nneka Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler
Nneka’s return is clearly the biggest change for the Sparks. She is a legendary player who spent the first 12 seasons of her career in LA. After two years in Seattle, she is back home.
While she is an older player, Nneka is still a force. She was an All-Star last season for the Storm, averaging 18.3 points and seven rebounds per game. Ogwumike also made Second Team All-WNBA last year, which was her eighth time making an All-WNBA team.
If her production remains this high, it raises this team’s ceiling.
While Ogwumike is the largest name to return, don’t underestimate Erica Wheeler.
She played with LA back in 2021 and remains a feisty defender and a capable scorer. Last season with the Storm, she averaged 10.3 points and 1.3 steals per game. The expectation is that she will be a quality backup guard, providing perimeter defense and another option to run the offense with the backup units.
New additions
Ariel Atkins, Kate Martin
Atkins will be a player Sparks fans will be watching with high expectations. She is replacing Jackson’s promise with production, so that will be the standard she’s held to. Last year with Chicago, she had a down year, averaging 13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
However, the Sparks believe that in their system, she can thrive and return to the All-Defense player she was earlier in her career.
“Ariel is a proven winner and one of the most respected two-way guards in this league,” Sparks General Manager Reagan Pebley said in a press release. “She’s a champion, an elite defender and someone who understands what it takes to win in big moments. Her professionalism, competitiveness and versatility make her a perfect fit for our franchise and a key piece in our pursuit of a championship.”
On a much smaller scale, Kate Martin was a last-minute addition to the roster prior to the season. Martin was signed to a developmental contract on the day of the team’s season-opener. While a fan favorite, Martin has seen minutes as a role player across two seasons, averaging 6.2 points on 32.3% shooting from the field on the Valkyries last year.
Returning reserves
Emma Cannon, Sania Feagin
The Sparks also brought back bench players from last year’s team. Emma Cannon is a savvy veteran who doesn’t play much but is a good locker room player and has been a WNBA professional for 12 years.
Sania Feagin is on the other side of that coin as a young player still trying to find her place. This will be her second year in the league, and last season she played just a handful of minutes in 16 contests. Bringing her back demonstrates that the Sparks do see potential in this forward from South Carolina.
Rookies
Ta’Niya Latson, Chance Gray, Jihyun Park, Laura Ziegler
The Sparks have a quartet of first-year players joining the team. Los Angeles drafted Ta’Niya Latson and Chance Gray and both players made the roster.
Latson averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists during her final collegiate year at South Carolina and Gray averaged 14.7 points in 35 games for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Both guards will be competing for backup minutes in the backcourt.
Jihyun Park is a WNBA rookie, but she has a ton of professional experience in South Korea. The 26-year-old has played in the Women’s Korean Basketball League from 2018 through 2024. In the 2025 Asia Cup, she averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the Republic of Korea.
And last, but certainly not least, is Laura Ziegler, who is signed to a developmental player contract, meaning she can only be active in 24 games, similar to an NBA two-way contract. She can still participate in all training sessions and practices as well as travel with the team.
Last year at Louisville, Ziegler averaged 11 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
