PHOENIX—On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Sparks introduced that they’ve signed ahead Liatu King to a hardship contract.
At some point later, she made her WNBA debut in Phoenix, doing her greatest to assist Los Angeles keep aggressive in a detailed sport.
Liatu King’s Affect on the Sparks in Her WNBA Debut
Liatu King acquired UP for that one 😮💨
This marks her first factors within the W and a robust begin on the boards for the rookie!
LAS-PHX | Free on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/KSLsqOfoXz
— WNBA (@WNBA) Might 22, 2025
With Rickea Jackson and Rae Burrell sidelined resulting from accidents, King performed 13 minutes of motion, contributing 4 factors and three rebounds within the loss.
King expressed gratitude for returning to the Sparks on a hardship contract, aiming to make an affect on the workforce that includes stars like Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens, and Kelsey Plum.
“Actually, it feels nice,” King instructed Ballislife. “I am a real believer that every little thing occurs for a motive. Getting waived wasn’t the very best feeling on the planet, however I am appreciative to be referred to as again in for the employees. And all people has trusted me (and) needs to name me again.”
King checked in firstly of the second quarter and scored her first factors of her WNBA profession by tipping the basket in along with her athleticism whereas drawing the foul. It was an thrilling second for her, head coach Lynne Roberts, and the Sparks throughout a back-and-forth sport in opposition to the Mercury on the highway.
“I am impressed along with her,” Roberts stated postgame. “She’s only a competitor, and what I stated earlier than the sport form of rang true in her minutes. She has the power to create additional possessions for us. So she acquired a pair key boards, had a powerful tip in offensive rebound in site visitors (and) acquired a giant cost name. These are all huge performs—They do not actually stand out within the stat sheet, however I believed she did an incredible job with simply having been with the workforce for about 24 hours.”
King’s Journey: From Being Waived to Rejoining the Sparks
Within the preseason, King proved to the Sparks that she deserved a roster spot after scoring six factors and 4 rebounds in a preseason matchup in opposition to the Golden State Valkyries.
Roberts and basic supervisor Reagan Pebley praised King’s contributions each on and off the courtroom throughout media day. They expressed their gratitude for King whereas describing the coaching camp as aggressive.
“Liatu did a fantastic job in our camp,” Roberts stated of King pregame. “We drafted her within the third spherical, competed and did some actually good issues. It was actually onerous to let her go. You recognize, we do not run the most straightforward system. It is quite a lot of studying and reacting, and there are some guidelines to it, and Liatu already knew these. And so it was a straightforward choice to deliver her again to offer depth in that wing spot.”
All through her school profession on the College of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, King made a big affect on each applications. In her senior yr with the Panthers, she averaged career-highs in each main statistical class and was named the ACC’s Most Improved Participant of the 12 months. King averaged 18.7 factors, 10.3 rebounds, and 35.4 minutes per sport whereas taking pictures 52.3 % from the sphere.
In her graduate yr with the Combating Irish, King set a document for rebounds per sport in a season, averaging 10.8, whereas additionally scoring a mean of 11.5 factors per sport because the workforce superior to the Candy 16.
King and her teammates, guards Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld, have been all chosen within the 2025 WNBA Draft, with King going to the Washington Mystics and Westbeld to the Chicago Sky. King expressed her gratitude to her household—particularly her godmother— in addition to to the teaching employees at each the College of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.
“It is a blessing,” King instructed Ballislife. “Not lots of people can say that they have been drafted and are in a position to dwell out their desires and play within the W. It takes quite a lot of onerous work, I had a fantastic help system coming from highschool to school, after which even my help system at Notre Dame. I used to be solely there for one yr, but it surely felt like I used to be there ceaselessly due to how a lot they embraced me, the teaching employees and my teammates there.”
How the Sparks Acquired King within the 2025 WNBA Draft
The LA Sparks chosen King with the twenty eighth total decide within the third spherical of this yr’s WNBA Draft after she performed at Notre Dame. Pebley described King as an “glorious rebounder and tenacious defender,” emphasizing that she aligns nicely with the workforce’s id.
“What she’s actually good at is creating different possessions,” Roberts stated. “She’s an unimaginable rebounder on each ends of the ball—she will be able to defend. She solely took one three at Notre Dame, her senior yr, however she will be able to shoot it. And so I simply need her to be herself, be that a fantastic athlete has a fantastic understanding of what we’re making an attempt to do. And he or she flew in from South Bend yesterday morning, landed at 8:30 and was in follow, and it was like she by no means left. So glad to have her and grateful that she’s with us.”
When King discovered that she can be returning to the Sparks on Tuesday, she appeared ready for the problem introduced by Roberts and her teaching employees. Los Angeles is happy with King’s dedication to taking part in onerous and bringing depth to the sport.
“They referred to as me again for a motive,” King instructed Ballislife. “And so simply trusting myself and doing the issues that they already noticed in coaching camp. I do know that they have been more than happy with my rebounding and defensive depth. So simply bringing that right here, I am nonetheless a rookie right here. So simply nonetheless studying the issues however total, simply very assured in myself, my talents, and simply going on the market taking part in onerous— that is what they wish to see.”
Coach Roberts is in her first season with the Los Angeles Sparks as a head coach after spending the final ten years with the College of Utah. She developed notable names throughout the college, equivalent to Alissa Pili, who performs for the Minnesota Lynx, and was named Pac-12 Coach of the 12 months in 2023.
King shares Coach Roberts and her employees’s recommendation on making an affect on each ends of the courtroom, highlighting her capability to rebound rapidly and hustle all through the sport.
“That is one among her key issues,” King instructed Ballislife. “If you wish to play, if you wish to be nice, if you wish to win video games, it comes right down to possession. And actually, that is one thing that I’ve all the time had in me. I’ve all the time been a tenacious rebounder, so it isn’t like I’ve to come back right here and be taught it, and in order that factor that is what’s nice for me on this place.”
Sparks Stay Optimistic About King’s Affect Regardless of Loss to Mercury
The Sparks suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Phoenix Mercury on the highway, regardless of Plum’s spectacular efficiency, scoring 25 factors and offering six assists. Roberts highlighted that Los Angeles continued to battle all through the sport, particularly contemplating the workforce’s optimism concerning King’s potential and her affect on the courtroom.
“It was form of a sport of runs,” Roberts stated. “I’m happy with our workforce for preventing again twice – moving into double-digit holes there and fought again. It was simply backwards and forwards. AT (Alyssa Thomas) form of took over there within the fourth quarter. They have been working good things for her. We simply form of hiccupped there within the third quarter offensively, and we have been taking part in catch-up the entire remainder of the sport.”
The Los Angeles Sparks will tackle the Golden State Valkyries at residence on Friday evening. The Valkyries simply gained their first win in franchise historical past over the Washington Mystics at residence on Wednesday.
