Sparks' GM Penny Toler forsees a long off-season assembling next year's roster

While the Sparks sat at a conference table during the team's exit interviews three weeks ago in El Segundo, players dutifully noted the strong possibility that it may have been the last time they would see some of their teammates. After reflecting on what unanimously had been considered a disappointing 2009 season, Sparks guard Betty Lennox was asked to look ahead to 2010. But she couldn't.

Said Lennox: "I see nothing but fog."

That's because this off-season carries a lot of uncertainty.

The Sparks are currently involved with a coaching search after Michael Cooper left to coach the USC women's basketball program. They also are coping with Lisa Leslie's retirement following a 13-year career in the WNBA that included three league and All-Star MVPS, two league championships and finishing as the league's all-time leader in scoring (6,263 points) and rebounding (3,307).

The Sparks also may have to address other departures.

Despite signing a three-year deal in March, Sparks forward Tina Thompson says she will spend this off-season contemplating whether she has the energy and stamina to play in what would be her 14th season. Sparks guard Kristi Harrower, a free agent, says she also will be weighing her options from October through February while playing and serving as player and general manager for Bendigo Bank Spirit, a professional team in her native country in Australia.

Although Sparks General Manager Penny Toler said Harrower was the team's lone free agent, she said that doesn't mean she wouldn't look to trade other players.

"When you don't win [the championship], all bets are off," Toler said. "You see what becomes available. What you think is a need may not be a need depending on what other players are available."

With the league announcing today that the Detroit Shock will relocate to Tulsa, Okla., Toler forsees possible player movement within the organization. That gives her one more reason to move ahead in what she imagines to be a busy off-season.

Sparks' GM Penny Toler keeping her options open regarding coaching search

With the WNBA season ending only 10 days ago, Sparks General Manager Penny Toler could have taken a vacation during what she called a "quiet period." After all, she had often remarked during the season she couldn't recall the last time she has taken one.

Toler doesn't plan any R & R any time soon, telling The Times this morning she anticipates "an interesting offseason for us."

That's because there are already a bunch of moving parts.

Coach Michael Cooper left the Sparks to coach the USC women's basketball team. Three-time league MVP Lisa Leslie retired after an accomplished 13 years in the league and is already staying busy during post-retirement.

Though she signed a three-year deal in March, Sparks forward Tina Thompson says she wants to assess how she feels physically before committing to what would be her 14th season in the league. Sparks guard Kristi Harrower said the same thing during the team's exit interviews and has recently become the general manager of the Bendigo Bank Spirit, a professional team in Australia where she is also one of the team's guards.

Lisa Leslie following through on post-retirement plans

Soon after the Sparks were eliminated from the playoffs and ended what the team unanimously considered a disappointing 2009 season, center Lisa Leslie recalled a conversation with her husband, Michael Lockwood, that captured her present state all too well.

"My husband was like, ‘Well babe, today is the first day of the rest of your life,'" said Leslie, who retired after an accomplished 13-year career in the WNBA that included three league MVPS, two WNBA championships and finishing as the league's all-time leading scorer (6,263 points) and rebounder (3,307 rebounds). "I was like, 'Yeah I guess so. What am I going to do?' I’ve been looking forward to getting my pen and pad. I have all these thoughts that I’ve been waiting to write and hone in on my direction with what I want to do."

That part hasn't been hard. Even before her retirement ended, Leslie knew she wanted to pursue avenues that involved running her self-named basketball academy, broadcasting and public speaking beginning with Covidien, which promotes liver cancer awareness.

Only three weeks since the team's exit interviews, Leslie has made progress on all three fronts. But there are still details to be ironed out.

No title but Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie are No. 1 and No. 2 in jersey sales

The Sparks may have lost to the Phoenix Mercury for the Western Conference title, but they are winning when it comes to sales.

For the second consecutive year, Candace Parker, the 2008 WNBA Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, has the No. 1 selling jersey for the second consecutive year.

Teammate Lisa Leslie, a three-time MVP who made this season her last after 13 years in the league, holds the second spot. Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars rounds out the top three for the list.

As for overall merchandise, the Sparks again are the winners, with the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm coming in at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR PLAYER JERSEYS:
1.     Candace Parker – Los Angeles Sparks
2.     Lisa Leslie – Los Angeles Sparks
3.     Becky Hammon – San Antonio Silver Stars
4.     Diana Taurasi – Phoenix Mercury
5.     Shameka Christon – New York Liberty
6.     Essence Carson – New York Liberty
7.     Sue Bird – Seattle Storm
8.     Janel McCarville – New York Liberty
9.     Angel McCoughtry – Altanta Dream  
10.     Deanna Nolan – Detroit Shock

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR TEAM MERCHANDISE:
1.     Los Angeles Sparks
2.     New York Liberty
3.     Seattle Storm
4.     San Antonio Silver Stars
5.     Washington Mystics

-- Debbie Goffa

Photo: Lisa Leslie, left, hugs teammate Candace Parker after fouling out in the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Mercury during Game 3 of the WNBA Western Conference finals Saturday. Credit: Aaron J. Latham / Associated Press

Sparks' Lisa Leslie moving on to the next phase of her life

Even though her goal of a third WNBA championship went unfulfilled before retiring after 13 storied years, center Lisa Leslie told reporters after the Sparks were eliminated in the Western Conference finals that her spirits remained high.

“I feel great because I know that every time I stepped out on that court I played as hard as I could," said Leslie, who led the Sparks with 15.4 points per contest despite missing 11 games this season because of a sprained right knee. "I’ve left everything out there and I did my best. That’s all you can do is play your best and try to be the best role model you can, and that’s what I’ve tried to do."

She won four Olympic gold medals, two WNBA championships, three league MVPs and finished her career as the league's all-time leading scorer (6,263 points) and rebounder (3,307). But Leslie, 37, isn't resting on her laurels; she's just gearing up for her next phase in her life.

That will include more time with her husband, Michael Lockwood, and her 2-year-old daughter, Lauren. But it will also include work involving her self-named academy, broadcasting and public speaking.

Said Leslie: "I will stay close to the game because I feel I need to be a part of it.”

Sparks Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker to be named on WNBA's All-Second team

Sparks center Lisa Leslie and forward Candace Parker are expected to be named to the WNBA's All-Second team, an announcement that will be made official today around 1 p.m. PST.

The Sparks, which host the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals tonight at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, will face two players who are expected to be named to the league's All-First team, including forward Diana Taurasi and guard Cappie Pondexter. Taurasi was second in the league in scoring (20.4 points per game), and Pondexter wasn't too far behind with a fifth-best 19.1 points per game.

Leslie, a three-time MVP, and Parker, last year's league MVP and rookie of the year, returned to true form after missing a significant number of games.

Leslie missed 11 games because of a sprained right knee but has averaged 15.4 points per game and has been a catalyst for the Sparks' turnaround during her last season in her storied 13-year WNBA career.

Parker missed the team's first eight games while on maternity leave but has since posted a league-leading 15 double doubles, a league-leading 9.8 rebounds per game and 13.1 points per contest.

-- Mark Medina

Photo: Candace Parker tries to prevent an errant pass from going out of bounds during the Sparks' playoff victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Credit: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

Sparks' Lisa Leslie likes first-round matchup with Seattle Storm

Just as Sparks center Lisa Leslie gave an honest critique of her teammates' play after an 8-13 start last month, she was also upfront on why she preferred meeting the Seattle Storm in the first round of the playoffs starting tonight rather than the Phoenix Mercury.

"We match up better with them because they don’t have as much as a deep bench," Leslie said of the Storm (20-14), which split its regular-season series with the Sparks, 2-2. "I think high-wide and player-for-player, it’s a better matchup for us. I think Phoenix is so fast they don’t have a lot of bigs and they do their matchup zone, so I think overall Seattle would be a better matchup for us. But they’re all tough teams. You’re not going to escape the West."

The Sparks went 1-3 against Phoenix (23-11) in the regular season -- a series in which neither team really presented its full lineup (then again, that was the Sparks' story most of the season). The Sparks lost the first game after Leslie left with a sprained right knee that sidelined her for 11 games. They lost the second game that featured Candace Parker's return from maternity leave. They dropped the third game with Leslie fighting the flu while Parker and Kristi Harrower were absent for family reasons. The Sparks took the last game while the Mercury's Diana Taurasi, who's second in the league in scoring at 20.4 points per game, sat out to rest for the postseason.

Kathy Goodman: Phoenix then and now

As I was making my plans for this weekend’s final regular season game in Phoenix, and Lisa Leslie’s final regular season game in a Sparks uniform, I couldn’t help but reflect back on Season 1—back in 1997.  At the start of the inaugural season, L.A. had been widely picked as a favorite to win the first championship in the league, in large part because of the star power of its first assigned player, Lisa Leslie. However, the season had not gone exactly as planned.  There had been losing streaks and coaching changes.  By the time the last game of the regular season arrived, L.A. was fighting for its life to make the playoffs and it all came down to the final game of the season against the Phoenix Mercury.  The game was on a Sunday afternoon, and if we won, we were going to the post-season.  If Phoenix won, they were on their way.  It was a big game for Sparks fans in that inaugural season and I convinced my brother, with whom I was sharing a house (and Sparks season tickets) at the time, that true fans would road trip to Phoenix to cheer on the team.  He thought I was crazy, but he helped pack the car.

So, in tribute to Leslie, and because the parallels were so strong (except the part about having to qualify for the playoffs, fortunately),  I decided it was time once again to load up my car with water and chips and head out......

into the desert.

In 1997, Phoenix had one of the largest and most vocal fan bases in the league.  Their arena seemed to literally shake when they all got going.  They had a group of dedicated nuns who cheered them on from the stands and Cheryl Miller as their fiery coach. In the pre-Penny Taylor days, their Australian on the roster was the tenacious point guard Michelle Timms. Nancy Lieberman was still playing guard for Phoenix, her coaching and broadcasting careers still far in her future. Everyone in the arena seemed to know all the words to the “Mighty Mercury” song.  Los Angeles had its own stars: Leslie, of course, and Penny Toler in her pre-GM days. Chinese National Team standout Haixia Zheng also played a big role.

Sparks' Lisa Leslie, teammates estatic about tribute sendoff

In what eventually became a Sparks' 90-61 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, center Lisa Leslie was given a 30 minute pre-game tribute to capture her storied 13-year career in the WNBA.

A video featured testimonials from members of the Sparks, opponents and league officials about her. There was another video highlighting her accomplishments with Morningside High, USC and the Sparks.

The 13,764 at Staples Center featured Lakers standout Magic Johnson, Sparks Coach Michael Cooper, former USA basketball teammate Dawn Staley, USA basketball officials, league officials, the current teams at Morningside High and USC and her family.

Leslie was presented lifetime courtside seats to Sparks games, a framed USA basketball jersey, framed photos with messages from Sparks teammates and gold Nike shoes.

It made for a night that had many wax nostalgic about her career after the game. That included Cooper and Leslie's teammates sharing their favorite moments about the ceremony.

Candice Wiggins: an appreciation of Lisa Leslie

When my dad died, there was no WNBA.

My mom though – somehow she knew it was coming. I remember her talking to me about my father’s spirit and the power of sport. She spoke to me about how he would live through me and that I would honor him by affecting change and raising awareness. She said it was my destiny to help teach the world about AIDS. As a child, I didn’t understand her anymore than I understood the disease that claimed my father – but she was my mother, she is wise and I trusted her.

Then came the summer of 1996. I was 9 years old and even today, I don't know if any event will ever compare to how fundamentally important and colossal the Olympics became to me. It was the summer of the Magnificent Seven, Kerri Strug’s heroic landing, and it was the first time that women's basketball had a national stage – and nobody took the stage quite like Lisa Leslie.

Lisa was impossible not to notice. She always handled herself with utmost grace and dignity. Watching her inspired me to compete, and when the WNBA started the next year, my mom and I were watching as Lisa led the charge of pioneers who, together, completely changed the game. These women defined how the world viewed women's basketball. So, now, as I prepare to play against Lisa in her last home game as a WNBA player, wearing red shoes to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS, I am paying homage to Lisa and her legacy.

Lisa Leslie  is iconic, in the sense that she not only gave women's basketball a face, but also a standard for commitment to excellence and a recognition of responsibility  we all can aspire to uphold. I am passionate in my role as an advocate, and my passion for work around HIV/AIDS awareness has provided me the chance to engage with a global community of advocates and change-makers.  Yet today, what moves me about being a part of Lisa’s farewell game is that without Lisa, I realize that my peers and I might not have the opportunity to share our voices; our passions, our stories and our love for the game with the world. Its truly such a privilege and I am thankful.

I don't think any aspiring female basketball player growing up today could imagine life without the WNBA, but I can. Its something we cannot take for granted, and as a generation punctuated by Lisa’s departure, we must continue to grow. It wasn't until 1997 that we had a stage that allowed us to play in our own country, in front of family and friends. Now today, young players who watch us can grow up with dreams of winning a WNBA championship. They can dream of being one of the best players in the world. They can dream of being recognized on the street and, hopefully, we can help inspire them to use their celebrity to help change the world.

Thank you Lisa Leslie for what you have done for women; for women’s sports, for what you have done for basketball and today, especially,  thank you for what you have done to prove my mom right and provide me a vehicle for advocacy to honor my father.

--Candice Wiggins, Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, www.candicewigginsonline.com

Photo: Lisa Leslie, left, Candace Wiggins. Photo credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press, Hannah Foslien / Associated Press.