Sparks Postgame Notes & Quotes
June 29, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release
Chicago Sky (5-11) at Los Angeles Sparks (5-12)
Game 17 | June 29, 2025 | Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, CA | ESPN
Attendance: 13,523
Game Leaders:
Sky
PTS - Angel Reese (24)
REB - Angel Reese (16)
AST - Angel Reese (7)
Sparks
PTS - Kelsey Plum (22)
REB - Dearica Hamby (10)
AST - Kelsey Plum (7)
First Quarter:
Forward Dearica Hamby scored the first Sparks points with a layup, assisted by forward-center Azurá Stevens at the 8:30 mark
Stevens sank the first three-pointer of the game at the 7:31 mark off a Hamby assist
Guard Kelsey Plum converted a three off a Stevens assist at the 6:26 mark
Stevens led the Sparks with eight points (3-for-5 FG, 2-for-3 3PT), three rebounds and two assists in the first quarter
There were five lead changes and two ties in the quarter
Los Angeles made three three-pointers in the first quarter, while Chicago did not make any
Second Quarter:
Hamby's putback layup at the 9:35 mark were the first points scored in the second quarter
Forward Emma Cannon made the Sparks' first three-pointer of the second quarter off an assist from forward Rickea Jackson at the 6:48 mark
Stevens scored a game-high 12 points (4-for-7 FG, 3-for-4 3PT) in the first half
Hamby (4-for-7 FG) recorded eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the first half
The competitive first half featured eight lead changes and three ties
Third Quarter:
Plum drilled a pull-up three-pointer at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter
Cannon drained two consecutive three-pointers to shorten the Sky's lead to three
The Sparks retook the lead for the first time since the 6:48 mark in the second quarter after a Hamby reverse layup
The Sparks went on a 24-4 run to make the score 60-53 with 2:11 left in the third quarter, Los Angeles advantage
Cannon had a game-high 10 points (4-for-5 FG, 2-for-2 3PT) in the third quarter
The Sparks led by as many as seven in the third quarter
Fourth Quarter:
Hamby scored the first basket of the quarter at the 8:44 mark with a tip-in to tie the game at 64
With her sixth basket of the game, Cannon notched a new season-high in points (15)
A Hamby and-one cut the Sparks' deficit to within nine with 3:59 remaining in the fourth quarter
Stevens' recorded a driving layup off a Plum assist after a jump ball, making the score 85-76, Sky advantage
Plum scored the final points of the match with a driving layup off a Stevens assist with less than nine seconds left in the game
Main Takeaways:
Emma Cannon (6-for-7 FG) recorded a career high in made three-pointers with three, draining all her attempts from beyond the arc. She also set a season high in made field goals with six, a season high in points with 15 and had a team-high +12 rating
Dearica Hamby posted 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals. The veteran recorded her 47th career double-double and fifth of the season
Kelsey Plum recorded 22 points and seven assists, both team highs. She also set a career high in free throws with 12, going 100% from the line
Shey Peddy set a season high in rebounds with six, two offensive and four defensive
Azurá Stevens scored 17 points, matched her season high in assists with four and pulled down six rebounds
In her return from a five-game absence, Odyssey Sims tallied four assists that were converted into nine points for the Sparks
Los Angeles had 19 fast break points, seven more than Chicago (12)
There were 12 lead changes and six ties in the game
Pregame Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On slowing down Angel Reese:
"Angel Reese is unbelievable on the rebounds. And you can talk about it, and you can watch it, and you can drill it. There's no way to duplicate it, to prepare... Her motor is so high, and I have a lot of respect for her as a competitor...Try not to let her get as many rebounds as she did last time. You know, you have to meet her early. You have to make the first hit, I think that's the big thing. You can't just turn and think you have position, so therefore I can get it, because she'll beat you to it. So we have to make that first hit and it's also a collective effort... So, the key there too with rebounding is trying not to get too many defensive rotations where we are mismatched."
On how close the team is to peaking by August:
"I don't think we're close. We're still missing Rae Burrell, we're still missing Cameron Brink. Those guys will be back, Rae will be back soon. Cameron will be back soonish, maybe? That's a good way to say it. Part of our inconsistency on the floor has been inconsistency with our roster, so we've had people in and out and hurt and that's hard. But... we're learning from it, and we're getting tougher because of it. So have we come close to speaking? No, I don't think so."
On celebrating Candace Parker's jersey retirement:
"What a great day for the organization. I'm humbled and honored to be a part of it... I've always been a huge fan, who isn't? There's been some incredible, legendary players in our league and on the Sparks. Hall of Famers, and Candace [Parker] is right there. [She is the] only player to win Rookie of the Year and [Most Valuable Player] in the same year, that's crazy, and [she won a] championship here. I've just always been such a huge fan, and I hope our players [will] take from this is the legacy that is being a Spark. There [are] some incredible women that have put on that jersey, and it's our job to carry that torch forward and to get this franchise back where it belongs. CP [Candace Parker] is a great reminder about the greatness that [she was] and the greatness the Sparks were. That's what I hope our team can take that in while still focusing on what we're trying to do."
Candace Parker Press Conference Quotes
On going into ownership or coaching:
"I'm super grateful for playing the game for as long as I was able to play, but I know the game prepared me for this phase of life, so for sure, I want to be in an ownership position, but I also want to continue to impact the game on this side. So doing that alongside Adidas has been super special for me as the President of Women's Basketball."
On the Sparks being her first WNBA jersey retired:
"When I got drafted out here, it became home. I lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else, and so it's super important for me to be able to see this jersey in the rafters before any of the other ones. I think my 13 years here were super special. You know, it was ups, downs, wins, losses, heartbreaks, rewards, but I think it's just super special to be able to share that with my teammates and coaches and the organization that bet on me and picked me first in the 2008 WNBA Draft."
On the growth of the WNBA:
"I think where the game is, it's just the next picking it up and taking it where it needs to go, leaving it better than you came into it. I know I had vets like Lisa Leslie, who's here today, [and] Cheryl Miller [who] was a huge inspiration for me, and I think she laid the foundation to where the league is playing now, the athleticism and the style of play. So, I think to see where women's sports is, as a society, we should be proud, because I think we need women in leadership positions, and that's the best way to do it through sport and giving it a chance... I can tell my kids that as a little girl and a little boy, you can dream it, and you can do and accomplish anything."
Postgame Press Conference Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On whether Sunday's game was a "must-win":
"When I say must-win, I mean like it's not over, the season's not done. I just mean there has to be an intensity of, like, we gotta approach this thing, we gotta have it. Build on the last win. That kind of thing. So I don't want to get that misconstrued as to what I meant. I know I said that, but my intention with that [was] we just gotta be tougher. We've got to be tougher - sustained runs, handle adversity, handle performance issues, or bad calls. In this league, the tougher team wins, and I don't just mean physically."
On pushing forward from today's loss:
"When you're hit with adversity, you lose or you don't perform the way you want to, it's a choice as to how you approach it. There is no magic formula. You either choose to learn and look in the mirror, myself included, and say, 'All right, where can I be better? Where did I fall short?'... I'm not going to change in terms of my mentality. The sun's going to come up tomorrow. We're going to attack."
Dearica Hamby
On the physicality of the game:
"I think it's always physical, and I think both ways it was physical tonight. I feel like I was more intentional in being assertive, demanding my spots and getting hit from the high-low from my teammates. Obviously, we'd love to have a win. If I can consistently play like that, I think we'll be in good shape."
On her experience with Candace Parker:
"Candace [Parker]'s always been a mentor for me in that way. She made being a mom cool, and that it was possible to do both... I got drafted after not expecting to really play basketball after college and... [When] having your first kid, you don't really know what to expect [or] if you can continue to play. She's always... inspiring me in that way. I'm grateful for her and our friendship."
On positive takeaways:
"Starting from the top, the belief that our coach and our [General Manager] have in what we're doing and what we're building. It doesn't happen overnight, and that's not [me] trying to use that as an excuse, but it is the reality of the situation. We're seeing other teams that are winning, so we can't continue to use that as a crutch, sorry - let's be better."
Emma Cannon
On her impact on the floor:
"I always stay ready so I don't have to get ready. It's tough, but I feel like every loss is a lesson, and I feel like we're still building, and we're gonna get to where we need to be, but we just have to take these losses, and we have to turn them into something positive."
On playing through adversity:
"I just feel like we have to learn how to finish games, and it's not necessarily what the other team does, it's just about us actually digging in and buying in and finishing it. That's something that we're working on. We've been playing a great 30 minutes, but we have to put it all together."
On Candace Parker's impact on her style of play:
"For me, [Candace Parker] made it cool, not just to be a parent, but also to be a post player and be able to shoot the three, and bring the ball up, and not just be put in the box. She allowed me to broaden my game, and I love that, and I appreciate her for that."
What's Next?: The Sparks embark on a two-game road trip, starting with a matchup against the New York Liberty on Thursday, July 3 (4 p.m. PT). After that, the team travels to Indianapolis for a clash with the Fever on Saturday, July 5 (4 p.m. PT).
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