After 6 straight losing seasons, the Sparks bet on youth and a $150 million practice facility

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Sparks are looking to the future as their sixth consecutive losing season nears an end.

Having traded five-time All-Star guard Kelsey Plum and former WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike retiring at season's end, the team is positioning itself for yet another rebuild. It also needs a new general manager after firing Raegan Pebley in mid-July.

After a 2 1/2-week break to begin September for the FIBA World Cup, the Sparks (15-25) have four games remaining, with three against playoff-bound teams. In a season with few highlights, they've beaten first-place Minnesota, defending WNBA champion Las Vegas, and Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

"They've given me everything that they have, and I love them for it,” second-year coach Lynne Roberts said recently. “They have not quit on me at all. They’ve showed up every day, ready to learn, be better, turn the page, attack. That’s the culture that we want, that we’re building towards.”

Ogwumike spent her first 12 seasons with the Sparks, winning a championship in 2016, then played two seasons in Seattle before returning to Los Angeles for her final year.

"I’m excited to see the youth of this league, and especially the youth on the Sparks,” she said. “I want to empower a lot of these young players in the same way that I was empowered. I came into this league, and I came into this team understanding the legacy and the history of this organization, and I really don’t want that to get lost.”

The Sparks have not had a winning record or made the playoffs since 2020, when they were 15-7 in coach Derek Fisher’s second season. The franchise owns three WNBA championships, but none since 2016.

As part of the Plum trade to Phoenix, the Sparks received Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2028 second rounder.

Last season, Akoa Makani, a 25-year-old guard, started 11 playoff games for the Mercury, who reached the WNBA Finals.

The Sparks currently have two potential first-round picks next year — their own and the one they received from Phoenix. If USC star JuJu Watkins decides to declare for the WNBA draft and the Sparks have a high enough selection, they could have a shot at keeping the star guard in her hometown.

They already have center Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, who is averaging a career-best 9.6 points to go with 48% shooting from the floor and 33% from 3-point range, both career highs. Rae Burrell, who will be a restricted free agent, is having a career year and could be another key piece in the rebuild.

The team claimed Aaliyah Nye off waivers last week after she played 19 games for the Atlanta Dream. The 24-year-old guard-forward joins her third team this season.

“She had a good rookie season in Vegas, and she can shoot,” Roberts said. “She's got a really quick trigger, good size and she's young, so she's got a lot of basketball in front of her.”

The future also includes the opening of a $150 million training and practice facility in El Segundo, about 15 miles from their home arena in downtown Los Angeles. The building, set to open before next season, includes two WNBA regulation courts. It's a major upgrade for a franchise that has spent years renting various training locations, including at community colleges.

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here