The Los Angeles Sparks got a boost this weekend following a massive win against the Las Vegas Aces when it was announced that Azurá Stevens would be available to make her season debut. Stevens had been sidelined since training camp due to an arm injury she suffered while playing overseas in China in the offseason. But as one player returned, one might have exited. Veteran forward Stephanie Talbot had been dealing with a foot injury and on Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury she exited in the first quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game as per Sparks PR.
Stephanie Talbot had returned to the court this season after suffering an ACL injury in the 2023 offseason that delayed her Sparks debut. She was signed by the Sparks as a free agent in 2023 after playing two seasons with the Seattle Storm. With the season-ending injury to Cameron Brink, Talbot had moved into the Sparks starting lineup as a small-ball power forward.
Talbot began the season playing sparingly off the bench, but gradually began to get more minutes as the season progressed. She had recently looked like she'd found her rhythm. She was one of the more sought-after free agents in 2023 due to her career shooting seasons in 2021 and 2022 with the Storm.
During the Sparks win against the Aces on Friday, Talbot forced overtime with a post up on Chelsea Gray in the paint. She finished that game with 13 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Following the Aces win, Aari McDonald spoke about the effect Talbot has had since entering the starting lineup.
“Steph is so underrated, she's been playing her butt off since entering the starting lineup. She has been the glue that we need to keep us together, stay composed and has done the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet,” McDonald said. “She had some really big assists and I'm just proud of her.”
It's been a big week for Talbot in general. This weekend it was announced that she had made the final roster for the Australian national team for the Olympics later this month. This will be Talbot's second time representing Australia in Olympic competition. The first was in 2020.
Talbot will suit up alongside fellow WNBA players Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Rebecca Allen (Phoenix Mercury), Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx), Kristy Wallace (Indiana Fever), Sami Whitcomb (Seattle Storm) and Jade Melbourne (Washington Mystics).
Talbot has appeared in 20 games for the Sparks this season, including three starts, at a little over 16 minutes per game. She's been averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists with splits of 46 percent shooting from the field, 38.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 70.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Prior to exiting the game against the Mercury, Talbot had played six minutes and had two points, one rebound and one assist.
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