2009 Los Angeles Sparks season
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Los Angeles Sparks season is the 13th season for the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

 of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

. Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...

 announced that the 2009 season would be her last. On June 5, the Sparks and Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced a multi-year marketing partnership that includes a branded jersey sponsorship. The Farmers Insurance branded jersey will be worn by the players for the first time on June 6. As part of this alliance, the Farmers Insurance name and logo will appear on the front of the Sparks jerseys and will have considerable visibility in the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...

 during home games. Los Angeles became only the second WNBA team to finalize such an agreement. The Sparks attempted to reach the playoffs and were successful.

Offseason

  • On May 13, Sparks star Candace Parker
    Candace Parker
    Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...

     gave birth to a baby girl. It is the first child for the WNBA’s reigning MVP and rookie of the year and husband Shelden Williams
    Shelden Williams
    Shelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...

     of the Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

    . Goodwin Sports Management announced the baby girl was born in Los Angeles
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

    . She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Dispersal Draft

Based on the Sparks' 2008 record, they would pick 9th in the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...

 dispersal draft
Dispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team goes out of business, consolidates with another team, or for some other reason ceases to exist. Since most sports drafts are held in North America, this is where most dispersal drafts...

. The Sparks waived their pick.

WNBA Draft

The following are the Sparks' selections in the 2009 WNBA Draft
2009 WNBA Draft
The 2009 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at...

.

Transactions

  • June 5: The Sparks waived Jessica Moore.
  • June 4: The Sparks waived Ashley Paris and Marta Fernandez.
  • May 18: The Sparks waived Britney Jordan.
  • May 7: The Sparks signed Kristi Harrower to a training camp contract.
  • May 5: The Sparks then traded the pick from the Liberty and Rafaella Masciadri to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Noelle Quinn.
  • May 5: The Sparks traded Sidney Spencer to the New York Liberty in exchange for a first round 2010 WNBA Draft pick.
  • April 14: The Sparks signed Betty Lennox.
  • April 14: The Sparks waived Murriel Page.
  • March 26: The Sparks traded Temeka Johnson to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for a first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick.
  • March 25: The Sparks signed Marta Fernandez.
  • March 12: The Sparks signed Tina Thompson.
  • January 30: The Sparks traded Christi Thomas to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Vanessa Hayden-Johnson.
  • December 17, 2008: The Sparks traded the rights to Chamique Holdsclaw to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for the 13th pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft.
  • April 21, 2008: The Sparks traded their first-round draft pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics as part of the Taj McWilliams-Franklin/Delisha Milton-Jones transaction.



Additions

{| cellspacing="0"
| valign="top" |
{|class="navbox wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322; width:140px"|Player
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:100px"|Signed
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:210px"|Former team
|- style="height:40px"
| Tina Thompson
Tina Thompson
Tina Marie Thompson is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. The first draft pick in WNBA history, Thompson was selected first by the Houston Comets. She helped lead the Comets to four WNBA Championships...

|| March 12, 2009 || Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...


|- style="height:40px"
| Betty Lennox
Betty Lennox
Betty Bernice Lennox is an American professional basketball player most recently playing for the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. Her nicknames include "Betty Basketball," "Betty Big Buckets," and her most popular nickname "B-Money."-Childhood:Betty grew up in the small town of Grant, OK. Daughter of...

|| April 14, 2009 || Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...


|- style="height:40px"
| Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks.-High school:...

|| May 5, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|- style="height:40px"
| Kristi Harrower
Kristi Harrower
Kristi Harrower is an Australian professional basketball player, who three times won the silver medal with the Australian Women's Team at the Summer Olympics. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1998 - 2005 for the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx...

|| May 7, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|}

Subtractions

{|class="navbox wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:140px"|Player
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:100px"|Left
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:210px"|New team
|- style="height:40px"
| Temeka Johnson
Temeka Johnson
Temeka Rochelle Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Her primary position is point guard.-College years:...

|| March 26, 2009 || Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...


|- style="height:40px"
| Murriel Page
Murriel Page
LaMurriel "Murriel" Page is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a forward and center in the Women's National Basketball Association for eleven seasons. Page played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was drafted in the first round of the 1998...

|| April 14, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown is an American professional basketball player.-High school:White attended Woodward Academy in Atlanta, where she was named a High School All-American by the WBCA...

|| May 1, 2009 || Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


|- style="height:40px"
| Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.Sidney attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team to the national championship. That same month, she was selected in the 2nd round of the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks...

|| May 5, 2009 || New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...


|- style="height:40px"
| Rafaella Masciadri|| May 5, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|- style="height:40px"
| Britney Jordan|| May 18, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris is a WNBA player for the Atlanta Dream. She is the twin sister of Courtney Paris, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. She has been nationally recognized for her basketball achievements at the University of Oklahoma...

|| June 4, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Jessica Moore
Jessica Moore (basketball)
Jessica Moore is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, most recently playing for the Connecticut Sun. Jessica was a Center for the UConn Huskies from 2000–2005.-High school:...

|| June 5, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Margo Dydek
Margo Dydek
Małgorzata Dydek , known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world...

|| 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|}

Roster

Preseason

{| class="toccolours" width=90% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322" | 2009 Game Log: Preseason
|- valign="top"
|
The 2009 Los Angeles Sparks season is the 13th season for the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

 of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

. Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...

 announced that the 2009 season would be her last. On June 5, the Sparks and Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced a multi-year marketing partnership that includes a branded jersey sponsorship. The Farmers Insurance branded jersey will be worn by the players for the first time on June 6. As part of this alliance, the Farmers Insurance name and logo will appear on the front of the Sparks jerseys and will have considerable visibility in the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...

 during home games. Los Angeles became only the second WNBA team to finalize such an agreement. The Sparks attempted to reach the playoffs and were successful.

Offseason

  • On May 13, Sparks star Candace Parker
    Candace Parker
    Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...

     gave birth to a baby girl. It is the first child for the WNBA’s reigning MVP and rookie of the year and husband Shelden Williams
    Shelden Williams
    Shelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...

     of the Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

    . Goodwin Sports Management announced the baby girl was born in Los Angeles
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

    . She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Dispersal Draft

Based on the Sparks' 2008 record, they would pick 9th in the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...

 dispersal draft
Dispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team goes out of business, consolidates with another team, or for some other reason ceases to exist. Since most sports drafts are held in North America, this is where most dispersal drafts...

. The Sparks waived their pick.

WNBA Draft

The following are the Sparks' selections in the 2009 WNBA Draft
2009 WNBA Draft
The 2009 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at...

.
{| class="navbox wikitable"
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="2%"| Round
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="5%"| Pick
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="10%"| Player
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="10%"| Nationality
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="10%"| School/Team/Country
|-
| 1
| 13
| Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is an American professional basketball player. She attended high school at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL. She currently plays the forward position for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA.-Childhood:...


|
| Purdue
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...


|-
| 2
| 22
| Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris is a WNBA player for the Atlanta Dream. She is the twin sister of Courtney Paris, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. She has been nationally recognized for her basketball achievements at the University of Oklahoma...


|
| Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...


|-
| 3
| 35
| Britney Jordan
|
| Texas A&M-Commerce
|-
|}

Transactions

  • June 5: The Sparks waived Jessica Moore.
  • June 4: The Sparks waived Ashley Paris and Marta Fernandez.
  • May 18: The Sparks waived Britney Jordan.
  • May 7: The Sparks signed Kristi Harrower to a training camp contract.
  • May 5: The Sparks then traded the pick from the Liberty and Rafaella Masciadri to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Noelle Quinn.
  • May 5: The Sparks traded Sidney Spencer to the New York Liberty in exchange for a first round 2010 WNBA Draft pick.
  • April 14: The Sparks signed Betty Lennox.
  • April 14: The Sparks waived Murriel Page.
  • March 26: The Sparks traded Temeka Johnson to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for a first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick.
  • March 25: The Sparks signed Marta Fernandez.
  • March 12: The Sparks signed Tina Thompson.
  • January 30: The Sparks traded Christi Thomas to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Vanessa Hayden-Johnson.
  • December 17, 2008: The Sparks traded the rights to Chamique Holdsclaw to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for the 13th pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft.
  • April 21, 2008: The Sparks traded their first-round draft pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics as part of the Taj McWilliams-Franklin/Delisha Milton-Jones transaction.

{| class="navbox wikitable" style="width:80%"
! style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322; width=200"|Date
! style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322;" colspan=2|Trade
|-
| rowspan=2|December 17, 2008
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...


|-
| 13th pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft
| rights to Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...


|-
| rowspan=2|January 30, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|-
| Vanessa Hayden-Johnson
| Christi Thomas
Christi Thomas
Christi Thomas plays professional basketball in the WNBA. She attended the University of Georgia where she played under coach Andy Landers. She has been a professional since 2004. Christi also played basketball at Buford High School in Buford, Georgia, where she led the Wolves to a State Runner-Up...


|-
| rowspan=2|March 26, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...


|-
| first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick
| Temeka Johnson
Temeka Johnson
Temeka Rochelle Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Her primary position is point guard.-College years:...


|-
| rowspan=2|May 5, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...


|-
| first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick
| Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.Sidney attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team to the national championship. That same month, she was selected in the 2nd round of the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks...


|-
| rowspan=2|May 5, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|-
| Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks.-High school:...


| Rafaella Masciadri and a first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick
|}

Additions

{| cellspacing="0"
| valign="top" |
{|class="navbox wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322; width:140px"|Player
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:100px"|Signed
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:210px"|Former team
|- style="height:40px"
| Tina Thompson
Tina Thompson
Tina Marie Thompson is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. The first draft pick in WNBA history, Thompson was selected first by the Houston Comets. She helped lead the Comets to four WNBA Championships...

|| March 12, 2009 || Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...


|- style="height:40px"
| Betty Lennox
Betty Lennox
Betty Bernice Lennox is an American professional basketball player most recently playing for the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. Her nicknames include "Betty Basketball," "Betty Big Buckets," and her most popular nickname "B-Money."-Childhood:Betty grew up in the small town of Grant, OK. Daughter of...

|| April 14, 2009 || Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...


|- style="height:40px"
| Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks.-High school:...

|| May 5, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|- style="height:40px"
| Kristi Harrower
Kristi Harrower
Kristi Harrower is an Australian professional basketball player, who three times won the silver medal with the Australian Women's Team at the Summer Olympics. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1998 - 2005 for the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx...

|| May 7, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|}

Subtractions

{|class="navbox wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:140px"|Player
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:100px"|Left
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:210px"|New team
|- style="height:40px"
| Temeka Johnson
Temeka Johnson
Temeka Rochelle Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Her primary position is point guard.-College years:...

|| March 26, 2009 || Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...


|- style="height:40px"
| Murriel Page
Murriel Page
LaMurriel "Murriel" Page is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a forward and center in the Women's National Basketball Association for eleven seasons. Page played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was drafted in the first round of the 1998...

|| April 14, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown is an American professional basketball player.-High school:White attended Woodward Academy in Atlanta, where she was named a High School All-American by the WBCA...

|| May 1, 2009 || Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


|- style="height:40px"
| Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.Sidney attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team to the national championship. That same month, she was selected in the 2nd round of the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks...

|| May 5, 2009 || New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...


|- style="height:40px"
| Rafaella Masciadri|| May 5, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|- style="height:40px"
| Britney Jordan|| May 18, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris is a WNBA player for the Atlanta Dream. She is the twin sister of Courtney Paris, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. She has been nationally recognized for her basketball achievements at the University of Oklahoma...

|| June 4, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Jessica Moore
Jessica Moore (basketball)
Jessica Moore is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, most recently playing for the Connecticut Sun. Jessica was a Center for the UConn Huskies from 2000–2005.-High school:...

|| June 5, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Margo Dydek
Margo Dydek
Małgorzata Dydek , known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world...

|| 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|}

Roster

Preseason

{| class="toccolours" width=90% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322" | 2009 Game Log: Preseason
|- valign="top"
|
The 2009 Los Angeles Sparks season is the 13th season for the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...

 of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

. Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...

 announced that the 2009 season would be her last. On June 5, the Sparks and Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced a multi-year marketing partnership that includes a branded jersey sponsorship. The Farmers Insurance branded jersey will be worn by the players for the first time on June 6. As part of this alliance, the Farmers Insurance name and logo will appear on the front of the Sparks jerseys and will have considerable visibility in the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...

 during home games. Los Angeles became only the second WNBA team to finalize such an agreement. The Sparks attempted to reach the playoffs and were successful.

Offseason

  • On May 13, Sparks star Candace Parker
    Candace Parker
    Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...

     gave birth to a baby girl. It is the first child for the WNBA’s reigning MVP and rookie of the year and husband Shelden Williams
    Shelden Williams
    Shelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...

     of the Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

    . Goodwin Sports Management announced the baby girl was born in Los Angeles
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

    . She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Dispersal Draft

Based on the Sparks' 2008 record, they would pick 9th in the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...

 dispersal draft
Dispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team goes out of business, consolidates with another team, or for some other reason ceases to exist. Since most sports drafts are held in North America, this is where most dispersal drafts...

. The Sparks waived their pick.

WNBA Draft

The following are the Sparks' selections in the 2009 WNBA Draft
2009 WNBA Draft
The 2009 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at...

.
{| class="navbox wikitable"
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="2%"| Round
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="5%"| Pick
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="10%"| Player
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="10%"| Nationality
! style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322;" width="10%"| School/Team/Country
|-
| 1
| 13
| Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is an American professional basketball player. She attended high school at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, IL. She currently plays the forward position for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA.-Childhood:...


|
| Purdue
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...


|-
| 2
| 22
| Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris is a WNBA player for the Atlanta Dream. She is the twin sister of Courtney Paris, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. She has been nationally recognized for her basketball achievements at the University of Oklahoma...


|
| Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...


|-
| 3
| 35
| Britney Jordan
|
| Texas A&M-Commerce
|-
|}

Transactions

  • June 5: The Sparks waived Jessica Moore.
  • June 4: The Sparks waived Ashley Paris and Marta Fernandez.
  • May 18: The Sparks waived Britney Jordan.
  • May 7: The Sparks signed Kristi Harrower to a training camp contract.
  • May 5: The Sparks then traded the pick from the Liberty and Rafaella Masciadri to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Noelle Quinn.
  • May 5: The Sparks traded Sidney Spencer to the New York Liberty in exchange for a first round 2010 WNBA Draft pick.
  • April 14: The Sparks signed Betty Lennox.
  • April 14: The Sparks waived Murriel Page.
  • March 26: The Sparks traded Temeka Johnson to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for a first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick.
  • March 25: The Sparks signed Marta Fernandez.
  • March 12: The Sparks signed Tina Thompson.
  • January 30: The Sparks traded Christi Thomas to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Vanessa Hayden-Johnson.
  • December 17, 2008: The Sparks traded the rights to Chamique Holdsclaw to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for the 13th pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft.
  • April 21, 2008: The Sparks traded their first-round draft pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics as part of the Taj McWilliams-Franklin/Delisha Milton-Jones transaction.

{| class="navbox wikitable" style="width:80%"
! style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322; width=200"|Date
! style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322;" colspan=2|Trade
|-
| rowspan=2|December 17, 2008
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...


|-
| 13th pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft
| rights to Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...


|-
| rowspan=2|January 30, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|-
| Vanessa Hayden-Johnson
| Christi Thomas
Christi Thomas
Christi Thomas plays professional basketball in the WNBA. She attended the University of Georgia where she played under coach Andy Landers. She has been a professional since 2004. Christi also played basketball at Buford High School in Buford, Georgia, where she led the Wolves to a State Runner-Up...


|-
| rowspan=2|March 26, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...


|-
| first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick
| Temeka Johnson
Temeka Johnson
Temeka Rochelle Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Her primary position is point guard.-College years:...


|-
| rowspan=2|May 5, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...


|-
| first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick
| Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.Sidney attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team to the national championship. That same month, she was selected in the 2nd round of the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks...


|-
| rowspan=2|May 5, 2009
| width=400|To Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...


| width=400|To Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|-
| Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks.-High school:...


| Rafaella Masciadri and a first-round 2010 WNBA Draft pick
|}

Additions

{| cellspacing="0"
| valign="top" |
{|class="navbox wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#FFC322; width:140px"|Player
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:100px"|Signed
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:210px"|Former team
|- style="height:40px"
| Tina Thompson
Tina Thompson
Tina Marie Thompson is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. The first draft pick in WNBA history, Thompson was selected first by the Houston Comets. She helped lead the Comets to four WNBA Championships...

|| March 12, 2009 || Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...


|- style="height:40px"
| Betty Lennox
Betty Lennox
Betty Bernice Lennox is an American professional basketball player most recently playing for the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. Her nicknames include "Betty Basketball," "Betty Big Buckets," and her most popular nickname "B-Money."-Childhood:Betty grew up in the small town of Grant, OK. Daughter of...

|| April 14, 2009 || Atlanta Dream
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...


|- style="height:40px"
| Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn
Noelle Quinn is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks.-High school:...

|| May 5, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|- style="height:40px"
| Kristi Harrower
Kristi Harrower
Kristi Harrower is an Australian professional basketball player, who three times won the silver medal with the Australian Women's Team at the Summer Olympics. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1998 - 2005 for the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx...

|| May 7, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|}

Subtractions

{|class="navbox wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#dddddd"
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:140px"|Player
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:100px"|Left
| style="background:#5c2f83;color:#ffc322; width:210px"|New team
|- style="height:40px"
| Temeka Johnson
Temeka Johnson
Temeka Rochelle Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Her primary position is point guard.-College years:...

|| March 26, 2009 || Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...


|- style="height:40px"
| Murriel Page
Murriel Page
LaMurriel "Murriel" Page is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a forward and center in the Women's National Basketball Association for eleven seasons. Page played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was drafted in the first round of the 1998...

|| April 14, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown
Kiesha Brown is an American professional basketball player.-High school:White attended Woodward Academy in Atlanta, where she was named a High School All-American by the WBCA...

|| May 1, 2009 || Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...


|- style="height:40px"
| Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer
Sidney Spencer is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA.Sidney attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team to the national championship. That same month, she was selected in the 2nd round of the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks...

|| May 5, 2009 || New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...


|- style="height:40px"
| Rafaella Masciadri|| May 5, 2009 || Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...


|- style="height:40px"
| Britney Jordan|| May 18, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris
Ashley Paris is a WNBA player for the Atlanta Dream. She is the twin sister of Courtney Paris, who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. She has been nationally recognized for her basketball achievements at the University of Oklahoma...

|| June 4, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Jessica Moore
Jessica Moore (basketball)
Jessica Moore is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, most recently playing for the Connecticut Sun. Jessica was a Center for the UConn Huskies from 2000–2005.-High school:...

|| June 5, 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|- style="height:40px"
| Margo Dydek
Margo Dydek
Małgorzata Dydek , known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world...

|| 2009 || free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....


|}

Roster

Preseason

{| class="toccolours" width=90% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#5c2f83; color:#FFC322" | 2009 Game Log: Preseason
|- valign="top"
|
 
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