The Los Angeles Sparks are not just one of the most iconic brands in the WNBA, but in all of women's sports. As a three-time champion, a perennial contender and one of the league's founding members, the franchise is constantly finding themselves at the forefront.
After a few down years for the organization, including their worst record in franchise history last season, the team is making a major change before the 2025 season. Last Sunday, the team announced that they were hosting a tryout for male players to compete against the team in training camp and practices throughout the season.
Los Angeles Sparks hosting tryouts for male practice players
This has become a relatively common practice in the collegiate ranks, at least at the Division I level, and it is finally making its way to the WNBA.
The tryouts are from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST on Saturday, April 12 at El Camino College in Torrance, California, which is just outside of Los Angeles. Don't get any ideas about trying to register and fill out the waiver, however, as the team was so overwhelmed with the number of applicants that it had to shut down the page.
With a crew of star players like Kelsey Plum, Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink, it should be a fun experience for the practice team, but also a rewarding one. The Sparks are preparing for the season in a unique way and it should pay dividends for them once the year begins on May 16.
Los Angeles will need to bounce back this year after an eight-win campaign in 2024, and they are pulling out all the stops to do so. The biggest thing for this team will be staying healthy, and that begins with getting tougher in the preseason.