The 2022 WNBA season was the 26th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 6, 2022, versus the Chicago Sky.[1]
| 2022 Los Angeles Sparks season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Derek Fisher (Until June 7) Fred Williams (Interim, from July 7th-present) |
| Arena | Crypto.com Arena |
| Attendance | 5,653 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–23 (.361) |
| Place | 6th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Nneka Ogwumike – 18.1 ppg |
| Rebounds | Nneka Ogwumike – 6.6 rpg |
| Assists | Jordin Canada – 5.5 apg |
| Media | |
| Television | Spectrum SportsNet ESPN CBS/CBS Sports Network NBA TV |
The Sparks started the season well with road wins over Chicago and Indiana, but could not hold onto that momentum as they lost the next five games in a row. They broke the streak by winning three of their next four games to finish May 5–6. They would open June with a loss and on June 7, 2022, the Sparks and head coach Derek Fisher parted ways after starting the season 5–7, and Fred Williams was named the interim head coach.[2] Williams' tenure started with back to back losses, but the Sparks won two of their last four games in June to finish the month 2–5. The team won its first three games in July before losing their next three. Two wins were followed by three losses to finish July 5–6. The team began August in the playoff hunt, but three straight losses extended their losing streak to six total and dashed their playoff hopes. A win at Washington would be the Sparks' only win in August as they finished the season with three straight home losses. They finished the month 1–6 and the season 13–23.
Transactions edit
WNBA draft edit
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Rae Burrell |  United States | Tennessee |
| 2 | 16 | Kianna Smith | United States | Louisville |
| 2 | 19 | Olivia Nelson-Ododa | United States | UConn |
| 3 | 27 | Amy Atwell | United States | Hawaii |
Trades and Roster Changes edit
| Date | Transaction | |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2021 | Renounced the rights to Marianna Tolo and Aina Ayuso [3] | |
| January 1, 2022 | Extended Qualifying Offers to Te'a Cooper and Lauren Cox[4] | |
| January 4, 2022 | Signed Lauren Cox to a Qualifying Offer[5] | |
| January 20, 2022 | Signed Te'a Cooper to a Qualifying Offer[6] | |
| February 3, 2022 | Traded Gabby Williams to Seattle in exchange for Katie Lou Samuelson and the 9th pick in the 2022 WNBA draft.[7] | |
| February 5, 2022 | Traded Erica Wheeler, a 2023 First-Round Pick, and 2022 Second-Round Pick to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Chennedy Carter and the rights to Li Yueru[8] | |
| February 8, 2022 | Signed Jordin Canada to a One-Year Deal[9] | |
| February 18, 2022 | Signed Liz Cambage[10] | |
| March 30, 2022 | Trade the rights to Li Yueru to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Lexie Brown[11] | |
| April 15, 2022 | Signed Chantel Horvat and Lexi Gordan to training-camp contracts[12] | |
| April 16, 2022 | Signed Rae Burrell, Kianna Smith, and Amy Atwell to rookie-scale contracts | |
| April 17, 2022 | Signed Olivia Nelson-Ododa to a rookie-scale contract | |
| April 29, 2022 | Waived Lauren Cox, Chantel Horvat, and Lexi Gordan[13] | |
| May 4, 2022 | Waived Te'a Cooper, Arella Guirantes, and Kianna Smith[14] | |
| May 5, 2022 | Temporarily Suspend Kristi Toliver and Katie Lou Samuelson due to NBA and Overseas Commitments | |
| Full Season suspension of the contract of Amanda Zahui B | ||
| May 11, 2022 | Exercised the 4th Year Team Option on Chennedy Carter | |
| May 16, 2022 | Signed Katie Lou Samuelson to a One Year Extension[15] | |
| May 17, 2022 | Activated Katie Lou Samuelson from her Temporary Suspension[16] | |
| June 7, 2022 | Fired Head coach/GM Derek Fisher and named Fred Williams as Interim Head coach[17] | |
| Waived Amy Atwell[18] | ||
| June 9, 2022 | Activated Kristi Toliver from her Temporary Suspension | |
| July 4, 2022 | Signed Kianna Smith to a 7-Day Hardship Contract[19] | |
| July 26, 2022 | Waived Liz Cambage[20] | |
| Signed Kianna Smith to a 2nd 7-day contract[21] | ||
| August 2, 2022 | Signed Kianna Smith[22] | |
Roster edit
| 2022 Los Angeles Sparks roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth edit
| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
|---|---|---|
| C | Chiney Ogwumike | Olivia Nelson-Ododa |
| PF | Nneka Ogwumike | Jasmine Walker |
| SF | Katie Lou Samuelson | Rae Burrell |
| SG | Brittney Sykes | Lexie Brown Kianna Smith |
| PG | Kristi Toliver | Jordin Canada Chennedy Carter |
Schedule edit
Preseason edit
| 2022 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season edit
Standings edit
| # | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Chicago Sky | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 9–1 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 25 | 11 | .694 | 1.0 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 5–5 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Washington Mystics | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Dallas Wings | 18 | 18 | .500 | 8.0 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – New York Liberty | 16 | 20 | .444 | 10.0 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–4 |
| 8 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 21 | .417 | 11.0 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 11 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 23 | .361 | 13.0 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 5 | 31 | .139 | 21.0 | 2–16 | 3–15 | 2–16 | 2–8 |
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Statistics edit
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
| PF | Fouls per game | Team leader | League leader | ||||
Regular Season edit
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nneka Ogwumike | 34 | 34 | 31.4 | .544 | .368 | .826 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 18.1 |
| Liz Cambage‡ | 25 | 24 | 23.4 | .509 | .286 | .784 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 13.0 |
| Brittney Sykes | 32 | 24 | 28.8 | .433 | .269 | .770 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 12.7 |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | 32 | 29 | 29.5 | .373 | .352 | .837 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 9.7 |
| Jordin Canada | 32 | 25 | 27.0 | .384 | .140 | .806 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 9.2 |
| Chennedy Carter | 24 | 2 | 16.4 | .450 | .200 | .745 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 8.9 |
| Lexie Brown | 34 | 16 | 25.0 | .441 | .398 | .667 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 7.1 |
| Chiney Ogwumike | 26 | 7 | 18.4 | .466 | .444 | .706 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 7.0 |
| Kristi Toliver | 11 | 10 | 19.8 | .373 | .361 | .875 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa | 30 | 6 | 14.5 | .566 | .000 | .703 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 4.0 |
| Kianna Smith≠ | 11 | 0 | 10.3 | .314 | .278 | 1.000 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| Rae Burrell | 3 | 1 | 14.7 | .111 | .167 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Jasmine Walker | 32 | 1 | 8.8 | .250 | .200 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.6 |
| Amy Atwell‡ | 4 | 1 | 8.0 | .111 | .167 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
‡Waived/Released during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Awards and honors edit
| Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nneka Ogwumike | WNBA All-Star Starter | June 22 | [23] |
| Western Conference Player of the Week | June 27 | [24] | |
| All-WNBA Second Team | September 15 | [25] | |
| Brittney Sykes | All-Defensive Second Team | August 30 | [26] |
References edit
- ^ "2022 Los Angeles Sparks Schedule". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Jennings, Chantel. "Sparks parting ways with coach Derek Fisher: Source". theathletic.com. The Athletic. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "WNBA Transctions – Player Movement". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Rachel Galligan Tweet". twitter.com. Rachel Galligan. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Re-Sign Lauren Cox". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Re-Sign Te'a Cooper". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
- ^ "Storm & Sparks Complete Trade". wnba.com. WNBA. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- ^ "Dream Acquire Erica Wheeler, 2023 First Round Pick and 2022 Second Round Pick in Trade with Sparks". dream.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Sign WNBA Champion Jordin Canada". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Sign WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Acquire WNBA Champion Lexie Brown". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Announce 2022 Training Camp Roster". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "NEWS: The @LASparks waived Lauren Cox, Chantel Horvat, and Lexi Gordon today". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Sparks Waive Three Players". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ "LA Sparks Announce Contract Extension For Katie Lou Samuelson". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "NEWS: Katie Lou Samuelson has returned from overseas play. Her status has changed from partial season suspension to active ahead of tonight's game against the Minnesota Lynx". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ "LA Sparks Part Ways with General Manager/Head coach Derek Fisher". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "More news today out of Los Angeles as the Sparks have waived Amy Atwell @Winsidr". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Sparks Sign Kianna Smith to 7-day contract". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Sparks Agree to Contract Divorce with Liz Cambage". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Sparks Re-Sign Kianna Smith to 7-day contract". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Sparks Sign Kianna Smith to Rest of Season Contract". sparks.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ "AT&T WNBA All-Star Starters Announced With Seattle Storm's Sue Bird Extending Record-Number of All-Star Selections to 13". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ @WNBA (June 27, 2022). ".@nnekaogwumike & @Sloot22 are your WNBA Players of the Week 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Kia WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson Leads 2022 All-WNBA First Team" (Press release). WNBA. September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ @WNBA (August 30, 2022). "Your 2022 #WNBA All-Defensive Second Team ⬇️ @athomas_25 @ezimagbegor @jus242 @BrittBundlez @gabbywilliams15 #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
External links edit
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