L.A. Sparks part with general manager Raegan Pebley

The Los Angeles Sparks have parted ways with general manager Raegan Pebley, the team announced Sunday.

Pebley had been in the role since January 2024 after more than two decades coaching women’s college basketball. The Sparks were 39-66 under her.

Her Sparks role will be filled by assistant general managers Zack Knowlton and Nate Nielsen, both of whom were hired by the Sparks during the 2026 offseason after extended NBA front office jobs.

“We are grateful to Raegan for her leadership and commitment to the Los Angeles Sparks and women’s basketball,” Sparks’ managing partner and governor Eric Holoman said in a statement released by the team. “Her work on the Sparks’ roster and player experience will have a lasting positive impact on our organization. We sincerely thank her for all she has invested in the Sparks and wish her success in her next chapter.”

Pebley’s tenure was defined by an effort to restore a historical culture of success to Los Angeles after three consecutive seasons out of the playoffs. Ultimately the Sparks are still chasing their first postseason berth since 2020 and have only one lottery pick on their roster (Cameron Brink) from that stretch to show for it.

The Sparks acquired two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum in a three-team trade that sent the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft to Seattle. That pick ultimately became Dominique Malonga, who is averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Storm in her second season. She will make her All-Star debut later this month after being voted a reserve by WNBA coaches.

Win-now moves were a theme of Pebley’s tenure. In 2024, L.A. traded the No. 8 pick in what would become a historic draft to Chicago for the rights to Julie Allemand and Li Yueru. The Sparks went 8-32 that season, Allemand was left unprotected in the 2026 expansion draft and Yueru was a throw-in in the Plum trade.

Pebley pushed forward with more aggressive win-now moves this offseason when she traded Rickea Jackson, the fourth pick in the 2024 draft, to the Chicago Sky for WNBA champion Ariel Atkins. The two-time All-Star is averaging 8.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 19 appearances for the Sparks this season.

Pebley also led the hiring of coach Lynne Roberts after Curt Miller was fired in September 2024. Miller and Pebley had been on the same coaching staff at Colorado State from 1999-2001. Roberts is 31-34 as the Sparks head coach.

“Raegan’s a friend of mine, and I care about her,” Roberts said “And this is the hard part in sports, right? But right now, I’m just focused on the team.”

The biggest indictment on Pebley is ultimately the Sparks’ standing despite all of these aggressive moves. They came into this season with expectations to contend after the free-agency signing Nneka Ogwumike, a former champion and MVP.

The Sparks are ninth in league standings roughly halfway through the season. They are coming off two of their best wins of the 2026 campaign, albeit both at home against the Indiana Fever, who were without Aliyah Boston, and the lottery-bound Chicago Sky.

Pebley was making calls around the league leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline, multiple sources told The Athletic. Plum is on an expiring contract which could make her a valuable asset at the deadline if the franchise doesn’t anticipate her to return in free agency.