# 2023 Los Angeles Sparks season

The 2023 WNBA season was the 27th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the first season under head coach Curt Miller. The season tipped off on May 19, 2023, versus the Phoenix Mercury.
The Sparks hired Miller on October 21, 2022. He previously served as the head for the Connecticut Sun, and led the Sun to the 2022 WNBA Finals. He also previously served as an assistant coach for the Sparks in 2015.
The Sparks won their opening game of the season before dropping the next two games to Las Vegas to finish the opening month 1–2. June was an up and down month that saw the Sparks win their first two games, but then alternate wins and losses for the next five games. They won two games in a row over Dallas but then they lost their final two games of the month to Chicago. They would ultimately finish the month 6–7. July was not as good of a month for the Sparks as they lost six games in a row to start the month. They won two games against Indiana but lost their final game of the month to finish July 2–7. August began with two losses, but then the Sparks went on a six-game winning streak. August finished with three straight losses, and the Sparks finished August 6–5. The Sparks were fighting for the eighth and final playoff seed entering September and they won their opening game. They then lost their next two games, and were eliminated from playoff contention on September 8 when they did not play, but Chicago defeated Minnesota. They won their final game of the season to finish September 2–2 and one game out of the eighth playoff spot. This marked the third straight year of the Sparks not qualifying for the playoffs.

## Transactions
### WNBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
| 1 | 10 | Zia Cooke | United States | South Carolina |
| 2 | 14 | Shaneice Swain | Australia | Cairns Dolphins |
| 3 | 26 | Monika Czinano | United States | Iowa |

### Transactions

| Date | Transaction |
| October 21, 2022 | Hired Curt Miller as head coach |
| December 31, 2022 | Renounced the rights to Ivana Raca |
| January 3, 2023 | Hired Karen Bryant as Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager |
| January 3, 2023 | Promoted Eli Horowitz to Assistant General Manager |
| January 4, 2023 | Hired Steve Smith and Chris Koclanes as assistant coaches |
| January 13, 2023 | Extended Qualifying Offer to Kianna Smith |
| January 16, 2023 | Traded Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Jasmine Walker, and Kianna Smith to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Jasmine Thomas and the 10th Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA draft |
| January 21, 2023 | Traded Amanda Zahui B and a 2024 Second-Round Pick to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for Dearica Hamby and a 2024 First-Round Pick |
| February 1, 2023 | Signed Lexie Brown to a 2-Year Deal |
| February 1, 2023 | Signed Stephanie Talbot to a Multi-Year Deal |
| February 3, 2023 | Signed Azurá Stevens |
| February 7, 2023 | Signed Layshia Clarendon to a training-camp contract |
| February 8, 2023 | Signed Jordin Canada to a training-camp contract |
| February 19, 2023 | Signed Yang Liwei to a rookie-scale contract |
| February 21, 2023 | Signed Karlie Samuelson and Reshanda Gray to training-camp contracts |
| February 22, 2023 | Signed Chiney Ogwumike to a 1-Year Deal |
| February 24, 2023 | Signed Nneka Ogwumike to a 1-Year Deal |
| February 28, 2023 | Full-Season Suspension of Stephanie Talbot due to Overseas Injury |
| March 9, 2023 | Hired Danielle Viglione as assistant coach |
| March 17, 2023 | Waived Chennedy Carter |
| April 13, 2023 | Signed Zia Cooke and Monika Czinano to rookie-scale contracts |
| April 13, 2023 | Signed Joyner Holmes and Crystal Bradford to training-camp contracts |
| May 13, 2023 | Waived Crystal Bradford and Reshanda Gray |
| May 15, 2023 | Waived Monika Czinano |
| May 16, 2023 | Waived Karlie Samuelson and Rae Burrell |
| May 17, 2023 | Waived Yang Liwei |
| May 18, 2023 | Claimed Nia Clouden off Waivers |
| May 18, 2023 | Placed Katie Lou Samuelson on the Inactive List due to Pregnancy/Child-Birth |
| May 18, 2023 | Signed Karlie Samuelson to a Hardship Contract |
| May 27, 2023 | Signed Rae Burrell to a Hardship Contract |
| May 29, 2023 | Released Rae Burrell from the Hardship Contract |
| June 5, 2023 | Waived Joyner Holmes |
| June 5, 2023 | Released Karlie Samuelson from the Hardship Contract |
| June 6, 2023 | Signed Karlie Samuelson |
| June 16, 2023 | Signed Destanni Henderson to a Hardship Contract |
| June 17, 2023 | Signed Rae Burrell to a Hardship Contract |
| July 16, 2023 | Released Destanni Henderson from the Hardship Contract |
| July 31, 2023 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a 7-Day Contract |
| August 7, 2023 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a 2nd 7-Day Contract |
| August 14, 2023 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a 3rd 7-Day Contract |
| August 21, 2023 | Signed Evina Westbrook to a Hardship Contract |

### Roster Changes
## Roster
### Depth Chart

| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
| PG | Jordin Canada | Jasmine Thomas Nia Clouden |
| SG | Layshia Clarendon | Zia Cooke Lexie Brown |
| SF | Karlie Samuelson | Evina Westbrook Rae Burrell |
| PF | Nneka Ogwumike | Dearica Hamby |
| C | Azurá Stevens | Chiney Ogwumike |

## Schedule
### Preseason

2023 pre-season game log Total: 1–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0) :
May: 1–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 12 7:00 p.m.
at Phoenix
W 90–71
Zia Cooke (12)
C. Ogwumike N. Ogwumike Holmes (4)
Canada Liwei (5)
Footprint Center N/A
1–0 :
2023 pre-season schedule :

### Regular Season

2023 game log Total: 17–23 (Home: 10–10; Road: 7–13) :
May: 1–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 19
Phoenix
W 94–71
Nneka Ogwumike (17)
Chiney Ogwumike (7)
Jordin Canada (5)
Crypto.com Arena 10,396
1–0
2
May 25
Las Vegas
L 85–94
Chiney Ogwumike (19)
Chiney Ogwumike (8)
Layshia Clarendon (6)
Crypto.com Arena 7,314
1–1
3
May 27
@ Las Vegas
L 65–93
Nneka Ogwumike (16)
Karlie Samuelson (7)
Nia Clouden (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 10,191
1–2 :
June
: 6–7 (Home: 4–3; Road: 2–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
4
June 2
@ Phoenix
W 99–93 (OT)
Lexie Brown (26)
Nneka Ogwumike (12)
Nneka Ogwumike (6)
Footprint Center 8,815
2–2
5
June 3
Seattle
W 92–83
Nneka Ogwumike (27)
Nneka Ogwumike (13)
Jordin Canada (7)
Crypto.com Arena 6,866
3–2
6
June 6
@ Seattle
L 63–66
Nneka Ogwumike (22)
Nneka Ogwumike (11)
Jordin Canada (5)
Climate Pledge Arena 7,840
3–3
7
June 9
Chicago
W 77–62
Nneka Ogwumike (19)
Nneka Ogwumike (14)
Canada N. Ogwumike (5)
Crypto.com Arena 5,431
4–3
8
June 11
@ Minnesota
L 86–91
Nneka Ogwumike (27)
Dearica Hamby (9)
Jordin Canada (8)
Target Center 8,025
4–4
9
June 14
@ Dallas
W 79–61
Dearica Hamby (23)
Nneka Ogwumike (10)
Jordin Canada (6)
College Park Center 5,807
5–4
10
June 16
Minnesota
L 72–77
Jordin Canada (22)
Dearica Hamby (9)
Nneka Ogwumike (7)
Crypto.com Arena 5,265
5–5
11
June 18
Connecticut
L 74–83
Nneka Ogwumike (19)
Nneka Ogwumike (15)
Jordin Canada (6)
Crypto.com Arena 6,289
5–6
12
June 20
Minnesota
L 61–67
Nneka Ogwumike (20)
Nneka Ogwumike (9)
Jordin Canada (5)
Crypto.com Arena 4,180
5–7
13
June 23
Dallas
W 76–74
Nneka Ogwumike (20)
Dearica Hamby (10)
Jordin Canada (6)
Crypto.com Arena 5,766
6–7
14
June 25
Dallas
W 93–83
Nneka Ogwumike (27)
Nneka Ogwumike (12)
Jordin Canada (9)
Crypto.com Arena 6,380
7–7
15
June 28
@ Chicago
L 63–80
Nneka Ogwumike (16)
Nneka Ogwumike (11)
Jordin Canada (5)
Wintrust Arena 8,810
7–8
16
June 30
@ Chicago
L 78–86
Azurá Stevens (15)
Dearica Hamby (12)
Jordin Canada (4)
Wintrust Arena 7,272
7–9 :
July
: 2–7 (Home: 2–3; Road: 0–4)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
July 2
@ Atlanta
L 84–112
Nneka Ogwumike (25)
Azurá Stevens (9)
Destanni Henderson (6)
Gateway Center Arena 3,209
7–10
18
July 5
Atlanta
L 79–90
Nneka Ogwumike (19)
Azurá Stevens (12)
Jordin Canada (7)
Crypto.com Arena 5,912
7–11
19
July 9
@ Phoenix
L 72–78
Nneka Ogwumike (20)
Nneka Ogwumike (14)
Cooke Thomas (4)
Footprint Center 9,206
7–12
20
July 12
Las Vegas
L 78–97
Azurá Stevens (22)
Azurá Stevens (12)
Karlie Samuelson (6)
Crypto.com Arena 8,085
7–13
21
July 20
@ Minnesota
L 70–73
Nneka Ogwumike (19)
Nneka Ogwumike (9)
Jordin Canada (8)
Target Center 7,014
7–14
22
July 22
@ Dallas
L 84–98
Dearica Hamby (18)
Canada N. Ogwumike (5)
Jordin Canada (7)
College Park Center 5,041
7–15
23
July 25
Indiana
W 79–78
Nneka Ogwumike (30)
Nneka Ogwumike (8)
Jordin Canada (10)
Crypto.com Arena 5,565
8–15
24
July 27
Indiana
W 81–68
Nneka Ogwumike (25)
Nneka Ogwumike (9)
Jordin Canada (7)
Crypto.com Arena 11,970
9–15
25
July 30
New York
L 79–87
Dearica Hamby (21)
Dearica Hamby (6)
Jordin Canada (4)
Crypto.com Arena 8,139
9–16 :
August
: 6–5 (Home: 2–3; Road: 4–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
26
August 1
New York
L 69–76
Nneka Ogwumike (20)
Nneka Ogwumike (8)
Jordin Canada (6)
Crypto.com Arena 6,498
9–17
27
August 4
@ Washington
L 77–79
Azurá Stevens (19)
Canada N. Ogwumike (8)
Jordin Canada (7)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,747
9–18
28
August 6
@ Washington
W 91–83
Nneka Ogwumike (20)
Nneka Ogwumike (10)
Jordin Canada (7)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 4,073
10–18
29
August 8
@ Indiana
W 87–80
Nneka Ogwumike (20)
Nneka Ogwumike (11)
Jordin Canada (7)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 3,006
11–18
30
August 12
Atlanta
W 85–74
Jordin Canada (20)
Azurá Stevens (8)
Jordin Canada (8)
Crypto.com Arena 7,119
12–18
31
August 19
@ Las Vegas
W 78–72
Layshia Clarendon (22)
Nneka Ogwumike (11)
Layshia Clarendon (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 10,348
13–18
32
August 23
Phoenix
W 91–62
Azurá Stevens (20)
Azurá Stevens (9)
Jordin Canada (7)
Galen Center 3,469
14–18
33
August 25
@ Atlanta
W 83–78
Nneka Ogwumike (29)
Nneka Ogwumike (12)
Jordin Canada (9)
Gateway Center Arena 2,957
15–18
34
August 27
@ Connecticut
L 68–83
Azurá Stevens (17)
Dearica Hamby (9)
Layshia Clarendon (6)
Mohegan Sun Arena 6,783
15–19
35
August 29
Chicago
L 75–76
Nneka Ogwumike (18)
Nneka Ogwumike (11)
Jordin Canada (9)
Crypto.com Arena 6,041
15–20
36
August 31
Seattle
L 61–72
Nneka Ogwumike (11)
Nneka Ogwumike (7)
Jordin Canada (4)
Crypto.com Arena 6,101
15–21 :
September
: 2–2 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
37
September 3
Washington
W 72–64
Layshia Clarendon (15)
Dearica Hamby (10)
Canada Clarendon Hamby Samuelson (3)
Galen Center 4,284
16–21
38
September 5
@ Connecticut
L 76–90
Hamby Stevens (18)
Azurá Stevens (11)
Jordin Canada (8)
Mohegan Sun Arena 4,783
16–22
39
September 7
@ New York
L 89–96
Layshia Clarendon (30)
Hamby Stevens (8)
Jordin Canada (5)
Barclays Center 6,275
16–23
40
September 10
@ Seattle
W 91–89
Nneka Ogwumike (22)
Dearica Hamby (12)
Jordin Canada (7)
Climate Pledge Arena 10,728
17–23 :
2023 season schedule :

## Standings

| # | Team vte | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 34 | 6 | .850 | – | 18–2 | 19–1 | 15–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – New York Liberty | 32 | 8 | .800 | 2 | 16–4 | 15–5 | 17–3 | 7–3 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 27 | 13 | .675 | 7 | 14–6 | 13–7 | 14–6 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Dallas Wings | 22 | 18 | .550 | 12 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Atlanta Dream | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 6–4 |
| 6 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – Washington Mystics | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 9–11 | 12–8 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 8 | x – Chicago Sky | 18 | 22 | .450 | 16 | 5–15 | 7–13 | 11–9 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 17 | 23 | .425 | 17 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 10 | e – Indiana Fever | 13 | 27 | .325 | 21 | 5–15 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 2–8 |
| 11 | e – Seattle Storm | 11 | 29 | .275 | 23 | 8–12 | 4–16 | 7–13 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Phoenix Mercury | 9 | 31 | .225 | 25 | 2–18 | 8–12 | 1–19 | 1–9 |
Notes
    (#) – League Standing
    x – Clinched playoff berth
    e – Eliminated from postseason contention
    Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

## Statistics
### Regular Season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Nneka Ogwumike | 36 | 36 | 31.1 | .512 | .339 | .870 | 8.8 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 19.1 |
| Jordin Canada | 38 | 38 | 32.6 | .404 | .333 | .873 | 3.1 | 6.0 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 13.3 |
| Lexie Brown | 12 | 11 | 30.3 | .486 | .415 | .875 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 12.4 |
| Layshia Clarendon | 24 | 24 | 28.6 | .497 | .457 | .915 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 11.1 |
| Azurá Stevens | 35 | 29 | 26.0 | .404 | .321 | .754 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 10.8 |
| Dearica Hamby | 40 | 19 | 24.8 | .431 | .220 | .648 | 5.9 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 8.9 |
| Chiney Ogwumike | 10 | 4 | 21.2 | .430 | .077 | .714 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 8.4 |
| Karlie Samuelson | 34 | 23 | 26.1 | .463 | .426 | .941 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 7.7 |
| Destanni Henderson$^‡$ | 10 | 1 | 16.9 | .362 | .105 | .737 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.0 |
| Zia Cooke | 39 | 4 | 14.1 | .289 | .261 | .813 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 4.8 |
| Joyner Holmes$^‡$ | 5 | 0 | 12.0 | .348 | .286 | .750 | 3.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 4.2 |
| Rae Burrell$^≠$ | 29 | 3 | 11.1 | .387 | .390 | .810 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.6 |
| Jasmine Thomas | 32 | 7 | 12.8 | .273 | .242 | .909 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.7 |
| Nia Clouden | 5 | 1 | 10.8 | .300 | .333 | .500 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| Evina Westbrook$^≠$ | 9 | 0 | 6.2 | .300 | .400 | 1.000 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 |
$^‡$Waived/Released during the season $^†$Traded during the season $^≠$Acquired during the season

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date awarded |
| Nneka Ogwumike | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 6 |
| Nneka Ogwumike | WNBA All-Star Starter | June 25 |
| Nneka Ogwumike | All-Defensive Second Team | September 22 |
| Nneka Ogwumike | All-WNBA Second Team | October 15 |
| Jordin Canada | All-Defensive First Team | September 22 |