LOS ANGELES, CA – April 20, 2017 — With nearly three weeks until the Los Angeles Sparks raise their 2016 WNBA Championship Banner inside Staples Center, the team announced today their training camp roster. Led by head coach Brian Agler, the LA Sparks will feature the return of 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, 2016 WNBA Finals MVP Candace Parker, and 2016 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Jantel Lavender, who each helped the 2016 team capture the third WNBA Championship in franchise history.
Fans can get their first glimpse of the reigning champs when they take on heralded rookie Kelsey Plum and the San Antonio Stars at 4:00 PM PT on Saturday, May 6th in preseason action at the Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium on the campus of Pasadena City College in Pasadena, CA.
Ogwumike, Parker and Lavender are joined by returning veterans Alana Beard, Essence Carson, Chelsea Gray, and Riquna Williams, who is healthy after sitting out the entire 2016 season due to injury. Executive Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler added to the core seven during the offseason by acquiring guard Odyssey Sims in a trade with Dallas.
Joining them will be 2017 first-round pick Sydney Wiese (Oregon State) and third-round selection Saicha Grant-Allen (Dayton), who are two of nine rookies that will be entering their first WNBA training camp.
Due to professional basketball commitments overseas, Alana Beard, Essence Carson, Chelsea Gray, Chelsea Hopkins, Ify Ibekwe, Tiffany Jackson-Jones, Jantel Lavender, Nneka Ogwumike, and Candace Parker will join the team later on in training camp.
To download the complete training camp roster, please click here.
Members of the media planning to attend a practice are required to contact Ryan Young (ryoung@la-sparks.com) ahead of time in order to gain entry.
The Los Angeles Sparks, presented by EquiTrust, open the regular season on Saturday, May 13th at Staples Center with a 2:00 PM PT game against Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm. Ticket packages are available now by contacting the Sparks front office at 844.GO.SPARKS between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. For more information on the 2017 season, visit LASPARKS.com.
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ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS
Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles Sparks play in the Western Conference of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The LA Sparks have won three WNBA Championships (2001, 2002, 2016), remain the only active team in the league to have won back-to-back titles, and enter the 2017 campaign having qualified for the playoffs in 16 of their 20 seasons. Guided by an ownership group led by five-time NBA Champion Magic Johnson and Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter, the LA Sparks are dedicated to ensuring each home game at Staples Center has a championship entertainment experience, while showcasing the best female athletes from around the world on the court. The team plays their regular season annually from May through September.