Sparks Waive Three Players

LA Waives Te’a Cooper, Arella Guirantes and Kianna Smith

 LOS ANGELES (May 4, 2022) – The Los Angeles Sparks announced today the team has waived guards Te’a Cooper, Arella Guirantes, and Kianna Smith.

Cooper played her first two WNBA seasons for the Sparks, averaging 8.2 points on 40.1% shooting from the floor, along with 1.6 assists and 0.8 steals per game. She was originally drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, before LA signed her prior to the 2022 WNBA bubble.

Guirantes was drafted with the No. 22 pick (second round) of the 2021 WNBA Draft. A star at Rutgers University, Guirantes averaged 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 11.6 minutes per game her rookie year. She appeared in 25 games, starting two.

Smith, the Southern California native, was drafted No. 16 overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft. In the Sparks’ first preseason contest against the Seattle Storm, she scored three points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out one assist, and held LA’s second-highest plus/minus, finishing +10 in 15:54 minutes of action.

 

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS

Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles Sparks are one of three original franchises in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sparks have won three WNBA Championships (2001, 2002, 2016), have qualified for the playoffs in 20 of their 25 seasons and remain the only active team in the league to win back-to-back titles. The Los Angeles Sparks are dedicated to ensuring each home game at Crypto.com Arena has a championship level entertainment experience while showcasing the best female athletes from around the world on the court. LA Sparks 2022 season tickets are available here for purchase.