LOS ANGELES – Through the first five games of the 2025 WNBA season, the Los Angeles Sparks have gotten off to a bumpy start at 2-4. Amid early injuries and absences, the team is trying to establish an identity under new head coach Lynne Roberts. In the early goings of the regular season, Dearica Hamby has been one of the Sparks’ most consistent players, and following the team’s 88-82 loss to the Atlanta Dream, she spoke about establishing their identity.

“We want to be competitive. We want to be physical, we want to play hard for 40 minutes. We’ve been talking about needing to put 40 of it together,” Hamby said. “We clearly are talented offensively one through 12, we have a lot different versatility and threats. We talk about each game it’s gonna be a different person, which is very good throughout this league. We need to be physical and competitive.”

When it comes to the Sparks wanting to shape their identity this season as a physical and tough team, having Dearica Hamby on the roster is a good start. The three-time All-Star has been a steadying influence for a young, inexperienced team that’s also learning a new coach and new system.

Following the Sparks’ loss to the Minnesota Lynx in their home opener, Roberts called Hamby, “one of the toughest players in the league without a doubt.” Hamby is constantly in the paint, absorbing contact, finishing around the basket and doing her best to provide an example on the court for her younger teammates.

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Through the Sparks’ first six games of the season, Hamby has been playing a little over 34 minutes per game while taking around 13 shot attempts per game. She’s been averaging 18.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals with splits of 51.3 percent shooting from the field, 41.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 67.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

What’s really stood out though is Hamby’s 3.8 assists per game. That’s a career-high, on pace with the 3.5 she dished out last season. Following the Sparks’ game against the Dream, Hamby spoke about why she’s been able to show off her playmaking in the early-goings of this season.

“We talked about the versatility and the way the offense is set up,” Hamby said. “I’m usually the first person to touch the ball. It also helps having KP [Kelsey Plum] here, running off everything, hitting big time shots and just making the right read.”

The Sparks will look to get back in the win column as they travel to Las Vegas on Friday for a matchup with the Aces.