First of all, I want to say I hope Rickea Jackson is well. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. Don’t mess with concussions. At all. Ever. They are scary and need to be taken seriously. If you sustain one, it makes total sense to be out for a while.
And it appears that Rickea Jackson will, in fact, miss tonight’s game, per ESPN.com. ESPN took the news from Rotowire, who seemed to source it from this tweet:
Unfortunately, without getting the super regular official NBA source like we’ve been able to use throughout the NBA playoffs, we kind of have to rely on this.
Rickea Jackson is out for the Sparks’ game against the Mercury tonight
This year, the Sparks have shown us that injuries are their favorite thing. It’s like playing Stardew Valley when you get a stardrop and suddenly another one of your core players is in severe pain.
Other players on the injury report include Julie Allemond, Rae Burrell, and Cameron Brink. Brink was the Sparks’ number-two selection in the draft last year and was looking like a fierce defensive competitor before going down for the year in her rookie season. She is looking to be back this year, but a full recovery from her injury could well last into next season.
Brink, per the ESPN link above, is slated to be back June 1. That is pretty early, given rumors mostly being “before the All-Star break,” but I guess we’ll see.
The Sparks have the chance to be a fun team this year, if all their players can get on the court together. They have so many young pieces and a new champion in Kelsey Plum with them to lead them in the right direction. Hopefully. They may not be a contender just yet, but they are LA. They can grow this year, and hopefully lure a big free agent or two when the world of WNBA contracts resets next year.
Ultimately, I just want everyone to be well, to be on the court, and playing the sport they love, assuming they love it. Best wishes to Rickea, Rae, Cameron, and Julie.