PHOENIX—On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Sparks introduced that they’ve signed ahead Liatu King to a hardship contract.
Someday later, she made her WNBA debut in Phoenix, doing her greatest to assist Los Angeles keep aggressive in a detailed recreation.
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 powerful begin on the boards for the rookie!
LAS-PHX | Free on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/KSLsqOfoXz
— WNBA (@WNBA) Could 22, 2025
With Rickea Jackson and Rae Burrell sidelined because of 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 staff that includes stars like Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens, and Kelsey Plum.
“Truthfully, it feels nice,” King informed Ballislife. “I am a real believer that every thing occurs for a purpose. Getting waived wasn’t the perfect 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 at the beginning 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 recreation in opposition to the Mercury on the highway.
“I am impressed along with her,” Roberts mentioned postgame. “She’s only a competitor, and what I mentioned earlier than the sport type of rang true in her minutes. She has the flexibility to create further possessions for us. So she acquired a pair key boards, had a formidable tip in offensive rebound in site visitors (and) acquired a giant cost name. These are all large performs—They do not actually stand out within the stat sheet, however I believed she did an amazing job with simply having been with the staff 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 normal supervisor Reagan Pebley praised King’s contributions each on and off the court docket throughout media day. They expressed their gratitude for King whereas describing the coaching camp as aggressive.
“Liatu did an excellent job in our camp,” Roberts mentioned of King pregame. “We drafted her within the third spherical, competed and did some actually good issues. It was actually laborious to let her go. You realize, we do not run the simplest system. It is a number 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 supply depth in that wing spot.”
All through her faculty profession on the College of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, King made a big affect on each packages. In her senior 12 months 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 recreation whereas capturing 52.3 % from the sphere.
In her graduate 12 months with the Preventing Irish, King set a document for rebounds per recreation in a season, averaging 10.8, whereas additionally scoring a mean of 11.5 factors per recreation because the staff 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 informed Ballislife. “Not lots of people can say that they have been drafted and are in a position to stay out their goals and play within the W. It takes a number of laborious work, I had an excellent help system coming from highschool to school, after which even my help system at Notre Dame. I used to be solely there for one 12 months, but it surely felt like I used to be there perpetually 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 general decide within the third spherical of this 12 months’s WNBA Draft after she performed at Notre Dame. Pebley described King as an “wonderful rebounder and tenacious defender,” emphasizing that she aligns nicely with the staff’s identification.
“What she’s actually good at is creating different possessions,” Roberts mentioned. “She’s an unimaginable rebounder on each ends of the ball—she will defend. She solely took one three at Notre Dame, her senior 12 months, however she will shoot it. And so I simply need her to be herself, be that an excellent athlete has an excellent 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 apply, 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 laborious and bringing depth to the sport.
“They referred to as me again for a purpose,” King informed Ballislife. “And so simply trusting myself and doing the issues that they already noticed in coaching camp. I do know that they have been very 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 general, simply very assured in myself, my skills, and simply going on the market taking part in laborious— 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, reminiscent of 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 court docket, highlighting her capability to rebound rapidly and hustle all through the sport.
“That is one among her key issues,” King informed Ballislife. “If you wish to play, if you wish to be nice, if you wish to win video games, it comes all the way down to possession. And truthfully, that is one thing that I’ve all the time had in me. I’ve all the time been a tenacious rebounder, so it is not like I’ve to return 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 struggle all through the sport, particularly contemplating the staff’s optimism concerning King’s potential and her affect on the court docket.
“It was type of a recreation of runs,” Roberts mentioned. “I’m pleased with our staff for preventing again twice – entering into double-digit holes there and fought again. It was simply backwards and forwards. AT (Alyssa Thomas) type of took over there within the fourth quarter. They have been operating good things for her. We simply type 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 house on Friday night time. The Valkyries simply received their first win in franchise historical past over the Washington Mystics at house on Wednesday.
