Los Angeles Sparks, Sydney Wiese agree to contract extension
On the heels of a career year, the fourth-year guard will be locked in through the 2022 WNBA season.
The Los Angeles Sparks announced Friday afternoon that they had signed guard Sydney Wiese to a contract extension. The extension will be through the 2022 WNBA season. Wiese is entering her fourth year in the league.
Our Howard Megdal reports the terms of the deal are $80,000 in 2021 and $82,400 in 2022.
Can report that @swiesebaby24's extension is two years, $80k, then $82,400. Another underappreciated player, that looks like a bargain from this view. No protection, either, but two-way players with her size aren't easy to find. #WNBA
— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) May 15, 2020
Wiese has spent her entire WNBA career with the Sparks since being drafted by the organization with the 11th pick in the 2017 draft.
She didn’t play much during her first two years in the league. She appeared in 28 games as a rookie in 2017 albeit playing only 7.9 minutes per game. She only suited up in 11 games in 2018 in 3.3 minutes per game.
This past season, however, was a career-year for Wiese. Heading into the 2019 season, there was a little bit of uncertainty surrounding her roster spot. She used a solid training camp to secure her spot and carried that momentum into the regular season.
More from Los Angeles Sparks
- Bet $5 on Sparks vs. Sky, Win $150 Instantly with Limited-Time DraftKings Promo
- Los Angeles Sparks name Curt Miller next head coach
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, November 2: Shakeup in the ACC with Bollin commit, UNC retool
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 14: Mystics are going dancing
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 10: Dream are (mathematically) stayin’ alive
She played in 32 of the Sparks 34 games including 16 starts and suited up in all four of the team’s playoff games. She was able to adapt to whatever role she was needed to play whether that was in the starting lineup or coming off the bench. She didn’t start the season playing all that much, but she gradually worked her way into becoming a crucial part of the rotation.
During the season, Wiese’s numbers may not have jumped off the stat sheet (4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), but she shot 36.6 percent from the three-point line and averaged around 20.6 minutes per game. Most importantly, she showed an ability to act as both an offensive sparkplug at times as well as another ball-handler and facilitator. When on the court, she kept the ball moving and kept the offense from stagnating.
Wiese will be part of a backcourt rotation that includes returners Chelsea Gray, Riquna Williams, and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, as well as newcomers Kristi Toliver and Brittney Sykes.
Love our 24/7 women’s basketball coverage? Join our Patreon now and support this work, while getting extra goodies and subscriber-only content for yourself.