Fielding talented teams is rarely an issue for the Los Angeles Sparks, but prior to the 2016 season, the Sparks couldn’t come up clutch in the playoffs. The seemingly unbreakable pattern of futility was undoubtedly frustrating, but the Sparks refused to be discouraged.
“Since I’ve been a part of the Los Angeles organization, even without the expected success of the time, there’s always been a championship culture,” Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike told Summitt Hoops. “I learned that we operate best in challenging situations. We are unbreakable at our most vulnerable.”
Los Angeles responded to the challenge in 2016, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. For Ogwumike, the title capped off an incredible season that saw her claim MVP honors. The third championship in franchise history offered solace for Candace Parker following the death of Pat Summitt, her college coach. For a veteran like Alana Beard, who had little to show for her stellar run with Washington, winning the title was a reward for persistence.
There is one more talent the Sparks have: their ability to isolate what happened in 2016. Of course, they’ll never forget the journey, but they’re ready for a new adventure in 2017.