The Los Angeles Sparks have made their first training camp roster cuts, sending forward Anneli Maley and guard Alyssa Utsby both home, the team announced Thursday night. That brings their roster down to 16 players, with additional cuts expected in the coming days.
Los Angeles Sparks make first roster cuts in early days of training camp
Forward Anneli Maley and guard Alyssa Utsby mark the Sparks’ first two training camp cuts.
Photo by Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Anneli Maley is a 26-year-old Australian standout who has primarily played overseas in the WNBL, Australia’s professional women’s basketball league. In 2022, Maley was named the Most Valuable Player of the WNBL. She played college basketball at the University of Oregon, and then at TCU. She previously played four games with the Chicago Sky in 2022, but has otherwise never played in the WNBA.
Alyssa Utsby, meanwhile, just completed her career at the University of North Carolina. She was a two-time First-Team All-ACC player and a two-time Second-Team All-ACC player through her five-year tenure. The Minnesota native went undrafted after averaging 11.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in her career.
The Sparks’ training camp roster now includes 16 players:
After roster cuts, 16 players remain on the Sparks training camp roster, 3 of whom are on fully guaranteed deals.
- Forward Dearica Hamby (protected veteran)
- Guard Kelsey Plum (protected veteran)
- Forward Azura Stevens (protected veteran)
- Guard Julie Allemand
- Guard Rae Burrell
- Center Cameron Brink (2024 draftee)
- Forward Rickea Jackson (2024 draftee)
- Center Mercedes Russell
- Guard Odyssey Sims
- Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker (2025 draftee)
- Forward Sania Feagin (2025 draftee)
- Forward Liatu King (2025 draftee)
- Guard Shaneice Swain (2025 draftee)
- Forward Emma Cannon
- Center Maria Kliundikova
- Guard Aari McDonald
Los Angeles’s roster will likely be cut to 11 players ahead of May 15, though teams can keep up to 12 players. That means at least 4 players from the current roster will be cut at some point in the next two weeks.
Already, teams across the league have cut players, with dozens more cuts expected. In 2024, of the 36 WNBA players who were drafted, only 13 made their final roster. As the league expands, opportunities for young players to compete in the WNBA will increase — but the WNBA remains one of the most difficult leagues to make, and stay in.
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