Yet another lackluster season for the Los Angeles Sparks comes to an end. And while Sparks legend Nneka Ogwumike’s retirement may have clouded the cracks in the team recently, the franchise’s 16-27 record suggests there needs to be great improvement come next season.
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Naturally, the first person in line to face the music of failure is head coach Lynne Roberts. She joined the team on November 19, 2024, and has a combined record of 37-50 in her two full seasons of coaching. But regardless of her results, Roberts is not backing down from her position as head coach for next season, and she has her reasons.
“Yeah I think I have,” Roberts said when asked if she has done enough to return as Sparks head coach next season.
“I think again, we’ve had two tough years of injuries, and I’m not trying to blame anything on that, it’s just the reality. There has been a lot of change. Our president’s been here … four months. So just again, so much change,” Roberts told Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media during the press conference on Thursday night.
Roberts addressing injuries makes sense. From Cameron Brink missing the first 25 games of last season due to an ACL injury to star player Kelsey Plum’s acquisition being lackluster because of on-and-off leg injuries. Even recently, the Sparks have suffered with Dearica Hamby and Aaliyah Nye missing out on the final stretch of the regular season.
Roberts’ hire two years back was supposed to be the start of a new era for the Sparks, but has somehow become a season of transition, especially now after Ogwumike sets off to the sunset. And because of such instances, Roberts believes the franchise as a whole needs stability.
“I think what this org needs is some stability, some vision and direction, like a plan. Not that we haven’t had one, but I think now that we’ve got people in place, just give us a goalpost and we’ll march down the field in that way.”
The 51-year-old mentioning stability again makes sense considering the trajectory the Sparks have gone through with coaches. 2020 was the last time the Sparks made it to the playoffs, with then head coach Derek Fisher. Following the first half of 2022, the Sparks let go of one of their longest-tenured HCs.
From there on, it got chaotic, as assistant Fred Williams finished out that year as the interim. After him, Curt Miller was hired in 2023 and was again let go by the end of the 2024 season.
Similarly, the front office has not been a smooth ride at all. Back in 2019, Penny Toler was fired, and Derek Fisher took up the mantle of both head coach and general manager. After Fisher was gone, the Sparks have experimented with several names. Most recently, Raegan Pebley was fired, the one responsible for hiring Lynne Roberts as head coach.
The newest decision-maker is now Ariana Adonian, and it will be interesting to see if her leadership can provide a positive impact on the franchise as a whole. But amid the new front office hire, Roberts’ position as head coach could be in jeopardy, considering her record and how she was hired by Raegan Pebley.
But the real question is whether or not Roberts’ potential departure will drastically improve the Sparks’ performance next season.
Will the Sparks improve without Roberts at the helm?
The fact of the matter is that the Sparks have not qualified for the postseason since 2021. And from what we have discussed so far, the Sparks’ issues go deeper than just the change of the head coach, given the number of changes they have made to the front office in recent years.
Roberts’ two-year record is not the greatest, but the 51-year-old has more or less been handicapped when it comes to the roster. Roberts’ current record should also not take away the fact that she was hired to bring about change.
This is because before coming to the Sparks, Roberts was a very successful NCAA coach, leading the Utah Utes to an overall record of 165-116 and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances in her final three years leading the program.
Roberts’ recent comments suggest that she has enough faith in her abilities to lead the Sparks to at least a playoff appearance next season, despite her NCAA record not translating to the WNBA.
Even with eight games remaining in the regular season and the Sparks basically out of playoff contention, Roberts refused to give up.
“Every time we put on the jersey we want to try to win. I think what can be gained is a lot. I mean, eight games left. We’re not just gonna roll the ball out, flip a coin and hope we pull for the best. We’ve got to coach our asses off, players got to keep showing up the way they have,” Roberts said following a 124-88 loss to the Atlanta Dream back in August.
“Come up with game plans, tweaks, adjustments, trying to figure out what works. It can be achieved in eight games and we’re gonna keep chopping word and we’re not ever gonna quit.”
And with their best player, Nneka Ogwumike, now retired, the Sparks have the perfect opportunity to start a rebuild next season. But only time will tell if Ariana Adonian is willing to give Roberts the keys once again next season.