LOS ANGELES — The Sparks made two major transactions Saturday, waiving fan favorite Kate Martin and releasing Alissa Pili as they are aiming to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-July.
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Martin, who was on a standard contract, was let go so the Sparks had a roster spot to sign former Atlanta guard Aaliyah Nye,whom the team was awarded after she was waived by the Dream in order to sign veteran forward DeWanna Bonner.
Martin, a third-year guard and 2024 second-round pick, who played with Caitlin Clark at Iowa, averaged 2.3 points in 7.1 minutes in 17 games with the Sparks. However, she had not received consistent playing time since June and recently had a string of “DNP – Coach’s Decisions” after initially being signed to a developmental player contract in May and then being upgraded to a standard contract in June.
Pili, a third-year forward who played for Sparks coach Lynne Roberts at Utah, was on a developmental player contract. The 2024 first-round pick averaged two points in eight minutes of playing time across five games.
Nye, who has averaged 2.9 points per game in her career, is a former second-round pick by the Las Vegas Aces. The 6-foot guard, who was considered a three-point specialist out of Alabama, was the 13th selection in the 2025 draft.
The Sparks have a prime opportunity to win consecutive games in Sunday’s road game against the last-place Seattle Storm, which is the final day of WNBA play before the league’s World Cup break until Sept. 16.
The Sparks (14-25) are in 11th place and already eliminated from playoff contention. They are 1-1 against Seattle this season, beating the Storm 88-83 on June 10 in Seattle and suffering a disappointing 82-64 loss July 6 at home.
LA is coming off a thrilling 88-82 comeback victory against the Washington Mystics on Friday night. The Sparks trailed by 17 points late in the first half before storming back in the fourth quarter to beat the playoff-bound Mystics and win the season series.
“Even though we were down big, I felt like we were still right … and I know that sounds silly, but that we were in it,” Roberts said. “Like, we were OK.”
“It comes down to effort and playing as hard as they did. They played so hard and I couldn’t be more proud of that,” Roberts added.
Guard Rae Burrell scored 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. Forward Cameron Brink added 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots off the bench.
“I was trying to focus on my teammates when I was on the bench before that time and knowing that I need to come in and be aggressive,” Burrell said. “Still just try to be me. The shots weren’t falling early, but I made sure that I just kept going. I feel like it really started on the defensive end.”
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Rae Burrell on scoring 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter of the LA Sparks’ 88-82 home win against the Washington Mystics Friday night.
The Sparks improved to 14-25 overall and will play at last-place Seattle on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/YHLWrU4jDw
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 29, 2026
Sparks all-time leading scorer Nneka Ogwumike, who scored a game-high 24 points against Washington, has five games left in her WNBA career after announcing that she is retiring at the end of the season. Ogwumike on Sunday will face off against the only other team she’s ever played for, after a two-year stint in Seattle in 2024-25.
“I look back and I see myself in my teammates,” Ogwumike said. “I have a lot of connections with different people, whether I’m playing against them or whether it’s me knowing Cam (Brink) since Stanford and us having this kind of magnetic bond from the jump. I was here for Rae’s first season.”
“I just try my best to be very present,” Ogwumike continued. “I want to empower a lot of these younger players in the same way that I was empowered coming up and understand that we’re not just here to just play games and move on. I came into this league, and I came into this team, understanding the legacy and the history of this organization, and I don’t want that to get lost.”
Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink, head coach Lynne Roberts and forward Nneka Ogwumike’s postgame press conference after 88-82 comeback win against the Washington Mystics on Friday, August 28, 2026. #wnba #lasparks #basketball pic.twitter.com/CcMyuTDzGU
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 29, 2026
Seattle (8-31) is in 15th and last place after its 90-78 victory against the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday. Rookie guard Flau’jae Johnson scored a team-high 20 points. All-Star forward Dominique Malonga scored 18 points. Former Sparks guard Zia Cooke, who was selected 10th overall by Los Angeles in 2023, added 10 points off the bench.
“You compete every night,” Burrell said. “You want to win every single night, so no matter what the record is, no matter the past games, we come to each game wanting to win.”
Mwenentanda signed
The Sparks announced Saturday afternoon that it had signed undrafted rookie guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda to a developmental player contract. The 6-foot-2 former Vanderbilt and Texas standout, who grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, played limited minutes in five games for the Golden State Valkyries this season but has yet to score in her WNBA career.
“Ndjakalenga is a versatile young player who brings size, athleticism and experience competing at a high level,” Sparks assistant general manager Nate Nielsen said in press release. “We’re excited to bring her into our environment and provide an opportunity for her to continue developing within our organization.”
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SPARKS (14-25) AT SEATTLE (8-31)
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
TV: Spectrum SportsNet