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For the second time in less than a week, the Los Angeles Sparks will face off against the Chicago Sky. The Sparks lost to the Sky, 97-86 on the road, and the rematch will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday. The game is significant in that it will be Candace Parker’s jersey retirement ceremony. Parker starred for each team, winning a WNBA title in both cities. And the Sparks will get a much-needed boost in the form of veteran guard Odyssey Sims who got a major status update on Saturday.
The update on Odyssey Sims came at Sparks practice when she acknowledged that she expects to make her return to the lineup against the Sky, as per John W. Davis of The Southern California News Group.
“I’m back, I’ll be ready to play tomorrow,” Sims said. “Just coming back in like I haven’t missed a beat, honestly. Just continue to play how I did all season, and most importantly just try and get some wins.”
Sims missed the Sparks’ last five games with what was listed as personal reasons. The Sparks went 1-5 during that stretch. Sims had been one half of the team’s starting backcourt this season alongside Kelsey Plum. While she did not go into detail about the reason for being away from the team, she did emphasize the importance of self-care for professional athletes.
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“As athletes, we carry a lot, deal with a lot, social media is a big distraction. . .it definitely can be a little annoying, but it’s always good to have a break, take some time to yourself, look yourself in the mirror and just kind of refocus,” Sims said.
After joining the Sparks last season via a hardship contract, Sims re-signed with the Sparks as a free agent in the offseason. This marked her second go-round with the franchise whom she played for in 2017 and 2018.
So far this year, Sims had appeared in 11 games, all starts, at a little over 30 minutes per game. She had been averaging 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists with splits of 41.9 percent shooting from the field, 35.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Prior to Sims being out, the veteran guard had made a strong prediction following a June 6 win against the Dallas Wings. She felt like the team was ready to embark on a win streak, which might have actually come true if Sims stayed in the lineup. The Sparks went 2-1 in that stretch before Sims stepped way briefly.
