The Los Angeles Sparks were officially eliminated from making the WNBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. While the Sparks took care of business on their end, defeating the Phoenix Mercury, 88-83, they needed a Seattle Storm loss to keep their hopes alive. Unfortunately for them, the Storm defeated the Golden State Valkyries to clinch the final playoff spot. Following the game, Sparks veteran forward Dearica Hamby spoke about why she is still encouraged despite the team not making the playoffs.

“I came here two years ago and. . .the plan [was] the long term build, and to be a part of it. I want to be here. I feel like we took steps in the right direction,” Hamby said. “I think it’s a little frustrating, because you look at some of the games, and we were two games away, but I could count on two hands how many games that we gave up. So [I] still [feel] positive though, and [it’s] good momentum for the future.”

Dearica Hamby was right in the sense that Sparks gave up quite a few close games this season that would have tipped the standings in their favor. The Storm finished with a record of 23-21 while the Sparks can finish no better than 22-22. One more win would have flipped the scale towards the Sparks as they held the tie-breaker over the Storm with a 3-1 record in the head-to-head season series.

While there are many examples to choose from, two games that come to mind are from June 24 and Aug. 29. In the June game, the Sparks held a double digit lead against the Chicago Sky, a team that has struggled all season long, only to choke it away and ultimately lose by double digits.

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In the August game, the Sparks were at home against the Indiana Fever who had several key players sidelined, including star guard Caitlin Clark, and still lost while failing to get a shot off that would have won the game in the final seconds.

But as Hamby said, there were encouraging signs for the Sparks as well. The team rebounded from a dreadful 6-14 start to the season, only to firmly cement themselves in the playoff picture. At one point, they had one of the league’s longest active win streaks when they rattled off five consecutive wins, and had won eight of nine games overall.

One of the biggest reasons for the Sparks’ turnaround this season was Hamby who has played at an All-Star level. She was originally acquired in a trade with the Las Vegas Aces back in 2023, and has become one of the team’s leaders and most consistent players.

This season, she has appeared in every game at a little over 31 minutes per game. She’s been averaging a career-high 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals with splits of 57.5 percent shooting from the field and 62.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.