LAS VEGAS – To say the 2026 season has been a disappointing one for the Los Angeles Sparks is a bit of an understatement. After a few offseason moves to bring in established veterans, the Sparks have sputtered to a 16-26 record, traded All-Star guard Kelsey Plum and will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. But despite the adversity the Sparks have battled, head coach Lynne Roberts still takes a lot of pride in the way her team has refused to fold.

“I’m proud of that, I really am. This year has been full of adversity and all sorts of things, but man, these guys have not quit on each other or on me. We’ve had some great wins, we’ve had some heartbreaking losses, we’ve had some bad losses. So we’ve had the whole gambit,” Roberts said during her pregame press conference prior to the team’s loss the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.

“They’ve showed up the next day the same. And I think that’s the culture that we’re building. And then we just got to continue to take steps towards getting back to the winning ways that we need to. But it means a lot to me and I take pride in it. And I give credit to the players and the vets because it’s been hard. But they have been true professionals.”

The Sparks’ season began to go off the rails amid a leg injury to Plum earlier in the season. The team’s offense revolved around the two-time champion and they held a 7-5 record with her in the lineup. But with her sidelined, they managed only a 3-12 record. She was traded to the Phoenix Mercury after that.

But her absence wasn’t the only injury issue the Sparks have dealt with. Cameron Brink, the team’s interior rim protector and best defensive player missed about one month due to an ankle injury. Veterans Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins have dealt with various ailments, and Atkins has taken several hard hits to the face this season.

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Monique Akoa Makani, whom the Sparks acquired in the Plum trade, sustained an ankle injury just two games into her tenure. She was out for five games before making her return. The majority of the Sparks’ bench rotation the second half of the season has been made up of rookies in Tonie Morgan, Chance Gray, Jihyun Park.

To add to that, two more rookies in Shyanne Sellers and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, both signed to development contracts, have been featured prominently in the rotation as of late. It’s a lot to ask of players with such little experience, especially going up against some of the best teams in the league to close the year.

“I am proud of the resilience. These young guys that are getting a lot of experience, that’s gonna help propel them into the offseason,” Roberts said during her postgame press conference following the Aces game. “These are valuable minutes and they didn’t shy away from it. So I’m excited about the future and these guys are showing me that they’re competitors and they’re coachable. And if you have that, you can build on that.”

The Sparks have one final game left on their regular season schedule before the offseason begins, at home against the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday, Sept. 24.