It’s been a year to the day since the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun kicked off their best-of-five series in the 2019 WNBA semifinals.
That series ended in embarrassment for the Sparks, as a 78-56 loss in Game 3 left them swept in the series by a combined 57 points. Candace Parker played only 11 minutes in the finale, putting the cherry on the top of sundae that she and the team hoped to forget. And not long after the Sparks had packed up for the offseason, a report from ESPN was published that highlighted rifts between the players and coach Derek Fisher, as well as inappropriate behavior from General Manager Penny Toler, who was swiftly ousted.