2012 Los Angeles Sparks season explained

The 2012 WNBA season is the 16th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association.

Transactions

WNBA draft

The following are the Sparks' selections in the 2012 WNBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/team/country
1	1	Nneka Ogwumike		Stanford
2	13 (from Tul.)	Farhiya Abdi		Frisco Sika (Czech Republic)
2	15 (from Chi.)	Khadijah Rushdan		Rutgers
2	16	Tyra White		Texas A&M
3	28	April Sykes		Rutgers

Transaction log

• February 1, 2011: The Sparks acquired a second-round pick from the Tulsa Shock as part of the Andrea Riley trade.
• April 11, 2011: The Sparks acquired a second-round pick from the Chicago Sky as part of the Lindsay Widsom-Hylton trade.
• February 1: The Sparks traded Noelle Quinn to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Marissa Coleman.^[1]
• February 8: The Sparks signed Alana Beard.^[2]
• February 23: The Sparks traded Natasha Lacy and LaToya Pringle to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Nicky Anosike.^[3]
• February 23: The Sparks signed Sharnee Zoll.
• March 9: The Sparks signed Ashley Shields.^[4]
• April 9: The Sparks signed Darxia Morris.
• April 23: The Sparks signed draft picks Khadijah Rushdan and April Sykes.
• April 24: The Sparks signed Rashidat Junaid.
• April 25: The Sparks re-signed Candace Parker to a multi-year contract.^[5]
• April 26: The Sparks signed draft picks Nneka Ogwumike and Tyra White.
• May 8: The Sparks waived Tyra White and Rashidat Junaid.
• May 15: The Sparks waived Khadijah Rushdan, Ashley Shields, and Darxia Morris.
• June 8: The Sparks signed Coco Miller and waived Sharnee Zoll.
• July 2: The Sparks waived Coco Miller.^[6]
• July 5: The Sparks signed Andrea Riley.

Trades

Date	Trade
February 1, 2012	width=375	To Los Angeles Sparks	width=375	To Washington Mystics
	Marissa Coleman	Noelle Quinn
February 23, 2012	width=375	To Los Angeles Sparks	width=375	To Washington Mystics
	Nicky Anosike	Natasha Lacy and LaToya Pringle

Personnel changes

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Marissa Coleman	February 1, 2012	Washington Mystics
Alana Beard	February 8, 2012	Washington Mystics
Nicky Anosike	February 23, 2012	Washington Mystics
Nneka Ogwumike	April 16, 2012	draft pick
April Sykes	April 16, 2012	draft pick

Subtractions

Player	Left	New team
Noelle Quinn	February 1, 2012	Washington Mystics
Ticha Penicheiro	February 22, 2012	Chicago Sky
Natasha Lacy	February 23, 2012	Washington Mystics
LaToya Pringle	February 23, 2012	Washington Mystics
Tina Thompson	February 24, 2012	Seattle Storm

Roster

Pos.	Starter	Bench
C	Candace Parker	Jantel Lavender
PF	Nneka Ogwumike	Ebony Hoffman Nicky Anosike
SF	Delisha Milton-Jones	Marissa Coleman
SG	Alana Beard	April Sykes Jenna O'Hea
PG	Kristi Toliver

Schedule

Preseason

|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 1 || Sat 5 || 7:00 || China || || 98-71 || Ogwumike (20) || Ogwumike (11) || 4 players (5) || Pasadena City College
1,073 || 1-0|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 2 || Thu 10 || 10:30 || Japan || || 95-77 || Ogwumike (17) || Lavender
Ogwumike (6) || Zoll (6) || LA Southwest College
950 || 2-0|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 3 || Sun 13 || 5:00 || @ Seattle || || 60-61 || Coleman (11) || Ogwumike (7) || Zoll (8) || KeyArena
4,628 || 2-1|-

Regular season

|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 1 || Fri 18 || 10:00 || @ Seattle || NBATV
KDOC || 72-66 || Toliver (25) || Milton-Jones (7) || Toliver (6) || KeyArena
9,686 || 1-0|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 2 || Tue 22 || 10:30 || Seattle || KDOC
KONG || 74-61 || Parker (21) || Parker (10) || Parker
Toliver (4) || Staples Center
9,238 || 2-0|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 3 || Thu 24 || 8:00 || @ Minnesota || || 84-92 || Parker
Toliver (23) || Ogwumike (9) || Toliver (4) || Target Center
7,923 || 2-1|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 4 || Sat 26 || 10:00 || @ Phoenix || KDOC || 99-88 || Parker (27) || Parker (11) || Beard
Toliver (4) || US Airways Center
10,200 || 3-1|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 5 || Tue 29 || 10:30 || Tulsa || TWC101 || 76-75 || Milton-Jones
Toliver (16) || Parker (10) || Toliver (5) || Staples Center
8,312 || 4-1|-|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 6 || Sun 3 || 8:30 || Seattle || KDOC
KONG || 67-65 || Toliver (23) || Parker (13) || Toliver (7) || Staples Center
12,639 || 5-1|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 7 || Fri 8 || 11:00 || Phoenix || TWC101 || 90-74 || Ogwumike (25) || Ogwumike (12) || Toliver (9) || Staples Center
11,198 || 6-1|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 8 || Wed 13 || 8:00 || @ Connecticut || ESPN2 || 87-81 || Parker (33) || Parker (16) || Parker (8) || Mohegan Sun Arena
6,058 || 7-1|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 9 || Fri 15 || 7:30 || @ Atlanta || SSO || 59-92 || Ogwumike (13) || Ogwumike (10) || Coleman (4) || Philips Arena
8,872 || 7-2|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 10 || Sat 16 || 8:00 || @ San Antonio || KDOC
FS-SW || 85-98 (OT) || Beard (23) || Parker
Lavender (11) || Toliver (5) || AT&T Center
8,234 || 7-3|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 11 || Mon 18 || 10:30 || Washington || TWC101 || 101-70 || Ogwumike (24) || Parker (8) || Toliver (6) || Staples Center
8,612 || 8-3|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 12 || Wed 20 || 10:30 || Tulsa || TWC101 || 95-79 || Parker (33) || Parker (8) || Toliver (6) || Staples Center
8,388 || 9-3|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 13 || Sat 23 || 8:00 || @ Phoenix || ESPN || 93-84 || Toliver (29) || Lavender (9) || Toliver (4) || US Airways Center
9,670 || 10-3|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 14 || Sun 24 || 8:30 || San Antonio || KDOC || 71-91 || Parker (15) || Parker (15) || Beard (4) || Staples Center
11,301 || 10-4 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbb"| 15 || Tue 26 || 8:00 || @ Tulsa || || 75-91 || Toliver (21) || Ogwumike
Lavender (7) || Toliver (7) || BOK Center
4,102 || 10-5|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 16 || Thu 28 || 12:30 || @ San Antonio || FS-SW || 80-94 || Parker (25) || Parker (13) || Beard (10) || AT&T Center
15,184 || 10-6|-|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 17 || Thu 5 || 3:00 || Minnesota || NBATV
TWC101 || 96-90 || Toliver (29) || Parker (13) || Toliver (6) || Staples Center
11,256 || 11-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 18 || Sat 7 || 10:00 || Seattle || ESPN2 || 83-59 || Toliver (23) || Parker (14) || Parker (7) || Staples Center
12,229 || 12-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 19 || Sun 8 || 8:30 || Atlanta || NBATV
KDOC || 79-63 || Toliver (19) || Parker (12) || Beard (7) || Staples Center
11,019 || 13-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 20 || Tue 10 || 3:30 || @ Phoenix || || 90-71 || Parker (22) || Ogwumike
Parker (14) || Beard (7) || US Airways Center
9,336 || 14-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 21 || Thu 12 || 7:00 || @ Indiana || ESPN2 || 77-74 || Ogwumike (22) || Ogwumike (20) || Toliver (4) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,244 || 15-6|-| colspan="11" align="center" valign="middle" | Summer Olympic break|-|-| colspan="11" align="center" valign="middle" | Summer Olympic break|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 22 || Sat 18 || 10:00 || @ Seattle || NBATV
KDOC || 82-71 || Toliver (22) || Parker (12) || Toliver (5) || KeyArena
9,127 || 16-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 23 || Tue 21 || 10:30 || Indiana || TWC101 || 79-69 || Toliver (21) || Ogwumike (10) || Beard
Milton-Jones (5) || Staples Center
8,402 || 17-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 24 || Thu 23 || 10:30 || San Antonio || TWC101 || 101-77 || Toliver (29) || Parker (10) || Parker
Toliver (6) || Staples Center
8,696 || 18-6|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 25 || Sat 25 || 10:30 || New York || NBATV
TWC101 || 87-62 || Toliver (29) || Ogwumike (7) || Ogwumike (5) || Staples Center
12,433 || 19-6|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 26 || Thu 30 || 8:00 || @ Tulsa || || 85-99 || Toliver (21) || Milton-Jones (7) || Toliver (8) || BOK Center
5,275 || 19-7|-|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 27 || Sun 2 || 6:00 || @ Chicago || KDOC
CN100 || 74-85 || Toliver (19) || Parker (9) || Ogwumike (6) || Allstate Arena
6,197 || 19-8|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 28 || Tue 4 || 8:00 || @ Minnesota || NBATV || 77-88 || Beard (17) || Lavender (8) || Toliver (6) || Target Center
8,123 || 19-9|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 29 || Fri 7 || 7:00 || @ Washington || CSN-MA || 96-68 || Parker
Toliver (18) || Parker (9) || Parker (8) || Verizon Center
7,468 || 20-9|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 30 || Sun 9 || 4:00 || @ New York || KDOC
MSG || 71-73 || Toliver (17) || Parker (15) || Toliver (4) || Prudential Center
7,357 || 20-10|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 31 || Thu 13 || 10:30 || Chicago || NBATV
TWC101
CN100 || 86-77 || Ogwumike (30) || Ogwumike (11) || Parker (5) || Staples Center
8,489 || 21-10|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 32 || Fri 14 || 11:00 || Connecticut || NBATV
TWC101
CPTV-S || 93-82 || Parker (23) || Parker (10) || Toliver (6) || Staples Center
10,503 || 22-10|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 33 || Tue 18 || 10:30 || Phoenix || NBATV
TWC101 || 101-76 || Parker (26) || Parker (11) || Parker (7) || Staples Center
8,579 || 23-10|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffb"| 34 || Thu 20 || 10:30 || Minnesota || NBATV
TWC101 || 92-76 || Ogwumike
Parker (22) || Ogwumike
Parker (11) || Toliver (8) || Staples Center
10,217 || 24-10|-| All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com

Postseason

|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 1 || September 27 || 10:00 || San Antonio || ESPN2 || 93-86 || Toliver (29) || Parker (9) || Beard (3) || Galen Center
5,013 || 1-0|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 2 || September 29 || 3:00 || @ San Antonio || NBATV || 101-94 || Parker (32) || Parker (9) || Parker (6) || Freeman Coliseum
5,293 || 2-0|-|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 1 || October 4 || 8:00 || @ Minnesota || ESPN2 || 77-94 || Parker (25) || Parker (11) || Parker (4) || Target Center
8,513 || 0-1|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 2 || October 7 || 3:30 || Minnesota || ABC || 79-80 || Parker (33) || Parker (15) || Beard (7) || Staples Center
10,791 || 0-2|-

Statistics

Regular season

Notes and References

1. News: Washington Mystics trade Marissa Coleman to Los Angeles Sparks for Noelle Quinn. Gene. Wang. The Washington Post. February 1, 2012. February 21, 2024.
2. News: Sparks sign 4-time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard. The San Diego Union-Tribune. February 8, 2012. February 21, 2024.
3. News: Mystics trade Nicky Anosike to Los Angeles for two role players. Mark. Giannotto. The Washington Post. February 23, 2012. February 21, 2024.
4. News: L.A. Sparks sign Ashley Shields to training camp contract. Sports Illustrated. March 9, 2012. February 21, 2024.
5. News: Parker agrees to multi-year extension with Sparks. Los Angeles Daily News. April 25, 2012. February 21, 2024.
6. News: Sparks waive Coco Miller. ESPN. July 2, 2012. February 21, 2024.