The Sparksownership made a major shift in direction on Sunday, firing general manager Raegan Pebley amid a lackluster season that has the team just below the WNBA playoff cutoff line and far from the title-contending form Pebley promised.
Assistant General Managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen will split interim GM duties, the team announced.
“We are grateful to Raegan for her leadership and commitment to the Los Angeles Sparks and women’s basketball,” Sparks Managing Partner and Governor Eric Holoman said in a statement. “Her work on the Sparks roster and player experience will have a lasting positive impact on our organization. We sincerely thank her for all she has invested in the Sparks and wish her success in her next chapter.”
The Sparks (10-11) sit in ninth place in the WNBA standings, one spot removed from the last potential playoff spot. The team is coming off back-to-back wins over the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, but that followed a three-game losing streak.
The Sparks have won three WNBA titles, the most recent in 2016, but the franchise has not made the playoffs since 2020.
Leading scorer Kelsey Plum has missed two long stretches with injury issues, but the biggest headache for the team for much of the season has been its poor defense.
Under Pebley’s direction, the Sparks hired coach Lynne Roberts and rebuilt a roster around Plum and Nneka Ogwumike. The offseason personnel moves included trading popular first-round draft pick Rickea Jackson for a roster that was older but one Pebley said could better position the team for a WNBA title run.
”Loved having her here … she’ll be successful wherever she goes,” Pebley said of Jackson. “But we’re focused on winning a championship and finding that fit and balance and getting all those pieces locked in with each other.”
The Sparks hired Pebley in January 2024 to help the former WNBA champions break out of their playoff drought.
A third-round pick by the Utah Starzz in the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 draft, Pebley was the head coach at Utah State (2005-2012) and Fresno State (2012-2014) before a nine-year stint at TCU, where she led the Horned Frogs to four WNIT appearances in her first five years before stepping down in 2023 as TCU finished 8-23. She was a TV analyst for the Dallas Wings from 2016 to 2023.