With two picks in the first four selections, the Los Angeles Sparks really couldn’t go wrong in a deep WNBA Draft Monday night.
Iowa all-universe guard Caitlin Clark had the same probability of going No. 1 as death and taxes. The Los Angeles Sparks were almost nearly as set with what the team was going to do at No. 2, but there was some uncertainty among followers who would be available at No. 4.
Stanford forward Cameron Brink was figured by most to be headed from Palo Alto to the City of the Angels — and she did, with her name called upon by the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Chicago Sky held the No. 3 pick that was sandwiched by Tinseltown’s selections, and thus had some sway. It was down to South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso or Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson, and the Los Angeles Sparks would take whomever was left.
Chicago picked Cardoso, with Jackson making her way to Hollywood shortly after.
Los Angeles Sparks Pleased with Their Picks
With the departure of longtime Los Angeles Sparks great Nneka Ogwumike, the team was in full rebuild mode. That rebuild received some mighty machinery Monday night, and general manager Raegan Pedley told the Orange County that she was pleased, saying:
“We’re excited about these two picks. When they come to town, when they show up and put that jersey on, we have to get the arena packed and filled, not just because whose coming into town but because we are your town.”
Brink is a 6-foot-4 forward that averaged a double-double in her recently completed senior season with the Cardinal. In addition to 17.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, she also contributed a median of 3.7 blocks per contest — earning her the 2024 Naismith’s Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year.
Jackson is a 6-foot-2 forward that boasted 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest in her just-ended senior season. She is the highest drafted Lady Vol since Diamond DeShields went No. 3 to Chicago in 2018.
Current Los Angeles Sparks Players Ready to Welcome their New Teammates
The Los Angeles Sparks are one of the charter members of the WNBA, playing in the first league game in 1997. It’s also one of the circuit’s most traditionally glamorous and successful squads, with three WNBA championships and a 522-372 record in 28 seasons.
However, the organization has fallen on hard times as of late. The Los Angeles Sparks have missed out on the WNBA playoffs for three years running. It is the longest such postseason drought in the history of a team that only missed the playoffs four times overall prior to 2021.
While the loss of Ogwumike stings, the 33-year-old’s departure allows for a time of rebirth at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown spoke to the prospect of two brand new immense talents joining her team, telling the Register:
“I had some conversations with [the front office] the last few weeks, who they were considering, they really did ask me how I felt about this upcoming draft class and it meant a lot me. I think they did a great job and I’m really excited.”
The new-look Los Angeles Sparks open the 2024 WNBA season vs. the Atlanta Dream on May 15.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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