“I think it’s a new era, so we’re not going to talk about it. We’re going to be about it.”
Kelsey Plum has never been one to hold back. Not when she was 10 years old and told her mom that she wanted to play in the WNBA. Not in Washington, where she broke numerous records. Not in San Antonio, where, as the franchise’s first-ever No. 1 pick in 2017, she made it clear in her introductory press conference that critics were “good” because they “make skin tough.” And not in Vegas, where the team relocated in 2018 and where Plum would go on to show just how tough she really was by bouncing back from an Achilles injury to win Sixth Woman of the Year and then back-to-back championships.
The KP that is talking to us now is in Los Angeles. Having been acquired by the Sparks via a three-team trade in early February, her words are a message to the fans regarding what they can expect from her new squad this year. But really, they echo a truth about her entire career, too. Plum has always been about putting in the work.
“Kelsey’s just elevated our whole organization because of the hard work she does on and off the floor,” says Cameron Brink, who is sitting with Plum, Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson inside a gym at El Camino College, where the Sparks are hosting their preseason content day. “She’s been a huge inspiration for me in that sense. We both have the same trainer—I’ve said that before—but she’s the hardest worker I know, and it inspires me to just put in that much more effort every day. So obviously she’s amazing on the floor. She’s one of the best players in our league, but she’s really taking our organization to the next level.”
Long before they were teammates, Cam got a glimpse of just how competitive KP truly was during a workout they had together. Brink was only in high school at the time. “I was very intimidated. She kicked my ass in every drill, everything,” she says.
The way Plum remembers it, Brink dished it right back, too. “You probably don’t remember, but you blocked the s**t out of me in that workout,” Plum says to her.
“Did I?” Brink says, stunned at the memory, as if she isn’t a 6-4 shot blocking machine. Neither of them could have known all those years ago that one day they’d join forces.
The same goes for Plum and Hamby, who played together in San Antonio at the beginning of their careers and now, years later, are teammates yet again. They go way back, too. “I first met D in the hotel lobby. What was that? The Final Four?” Plum asks her. “You had just had Amaya [in 2017], [she] was cute in the baby stroller. I’ll never forget that. You just said, Hi, you’re going to be my new teammate.”
“She’s been one of my best friends since she came into the league, and I’m just grateful to have her back,” says Hamby. As for when Plum met Jackson, neither of them had talked to each other until the Aces played the Sparks last season. “I just remember looking at her shoes and being like, OK, she’s got swag,” says Plum.
It’s crazy how things can change in the course of an offseason, but here they are, together, all wearing the purple and gold. The timing couldn’t be any more perfect for the Sparks, who went 8-32 last year, haven’t made it to the playoffs since 2020 and have had three coaching changes since then. But with new head coach Lynne Roberts, a new floor general in Plum to help set the tone and a roster full of ultimate bucket-getters, which also includes Odyssey Sims and Azurá Stevens, to name a few, the team is ready to get back to what it once was: a winning franchise.
If this were a movie, then Jackson has the perfect title.
“Baddies and Buckets,” she says.
Say less.
Even though they only played one preseason game against the Golden State Valkyries on May 6, that down-to-the-wire matchup provided a glimpse at what the Sparks can do offensively. Plum was shifty with the ball in her hands and facilitated the offense by dishing off plenty of dimes—5, to be exact—to her new teammates, which included one to Hamby right from the jump. Hamby, a three-time All-Star and 2022 champ who had 4 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds, plays with power and poise on both ends of the floor.
“I think D is one of the most underrated players in our league. Plays both ends of the court,” says Plum. “I kind of said this earlier in the press conference, [but] the 4 position is the most difficult in our league because you’re matching up with the best of the best in the world. So what she [has done] on a night in and night out basis throughout her career is, to me, one of the most impressive things. She plays both ends. She plays incredibly hard, she moves well without the ball, almost better than anyone I’ve seen, and she’s very instinctive and plays to that strength. And she’s going to have a great year.”
As a two-time Sixth Woman of the Year, Hamby is ready to add All-WNBA honors to her stacked résumé this season. “I think the next step for me would be to be All-WNBA,” she says. “I think I’ve kind of had every role possible throughout my career, but definitely want to be an All-Star again.”
Then there’s Jackson, who was so silky smooth from beyond the arc, going 2-4 and leading the team in scoring with 13 points. She carries herself with the confidence of a seasoned vet despite being drafted just last year by the Sparks as the No. 4 pick. “I just want us to win, whatever that looks like,” she says, when asked about her goals this season. “Whatever my role is, I’m just ready to contribute and continue to sharpen out the tools in my toolbox.”
“She’s being humble,” KP adds. “She’s an All-Star waiting to happen, but that’s OK. I respect that.” Later, Plum also describes Jackson as “one of the most talented players I’ve ever played with.”
“I’ve played with some talented players, but her ability to create her own shot—and because of her length at her position—she’s really a size big but in a guard body and she can shoot the three, which is incredible,” Plum adds. “I think the sky’s the limit for her. She can go as far as she wants to go in her career.”
The only player we haven’t seen yet is Cam, who is still rehabilitating from an ACL injury suffered last season. “I think it’s just doing everything I can to be back on the floor with these three amazing women, that’ll be a success for me,” Brink says of her goals this year after averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 boards last season.
It’s that positivity and resilience that will guide her throughout the process, but when she does return, everyone will be tuning in to see her do what she does best. “I think Cam is a Defensive Player of the Year waiting to happen,” Plum says. “Cam has everything she already needs in her toolbox. She really just needs to be empowered and continue to build that confidence. But the skills are there. God gave her some incredible talents. I have never played with someone who has been able to affect people’s shots and really deter entire plays. And I [would] know, I played against her. I would try to go in there and there’s not a lot of room to go in there. I would foul her.”
Despite the absence of Brink, the Sparks have their sights set on the upcoming season. They’ll meet the Valkyries again in their first regular-season game and have a packed schedule that also includes the jersey retirement of Candace Parker, who helped bring the City of Angels a WNBA title in 2016. It’s been nearly a decade since then, but expectations are high.
“I think that a lot of people can have statistics, but do you affect winning?” KP says of her mentality. “I think that’s why I chose to come here. The individual stuff ends up happening when collectively you work together and you win games, so that’s my mentality.”
Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.
The post Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson on how LA is finding their SPARK this Season appeared first on SLAM.
