It looks like the basketball gods have a vendetta against the Sparks.
Los Angeles is one pick away from the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft for the second year in a row, and a video posted on social media left the team in disbelief.
At a draft lottery viewing party that aired on Sunday, Sparks players watched as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft was announced.
The prize of this year's draft is the right to select Paige Bueckers, a college superstar who plays for the Wings, with the first pick.
There were groans coming from the room, and Cameron Brink, the team's second pick in the 2024 draft, was so stunned that he sat there with his mouth open in shock.
I also heard someone behind me say, “Are you serious?”
What's even more painful is that the Sparks had the league's worst record last season at 8-32 and had a 44.2 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick. The Wings and Sky both had a 22.7 percent chance to draft Buccaneer, who is expected to be a potential WNBA superstar out of college.
Last year, the Sparks finished with the second overall pick and missed out on the chance to select Caitlin Clark.
They took advantage of that and acquired Stanford standout Brink. Brink was averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 assists per game before his season was interrupted by a torn ACL.
The team seemed to be hinting at Blink. In the post of X After being drafted 2nd overall.
“The No. 2 pick worked out well last year!” they wrote.
“We are very pleased with the opportunity to acquire the No. 2 pick in this draft and add a dynamic player to our organization,” Los Angeles Sparks Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager Karen Bryant said in a statement. said. “Our basketball staff is already hard at work evaluating and preparing for a very special draft day with two first-round picks. As we continue to build the LA Sparks to compete once again, Today is a big step for our franchise.”
The Buccaneers fired head coach Latricia Trammell and brought in Kurt Miller as general manager, which will no doubt help a Wings team that has undergone some changes this offseason.
“I hope she goes to exactly the team they need, whichever team it is,” UW coach Geno Auriemma said in October. According to ESPN. “Paige will be fine wherever she goes.”
Bueckers has publicly stated that this will be his last year at UConn, even though he has one more year of eligibility remaining.
The 2025 WNBA Draft is scheduled to take place on April 14th.
