# Who is the best player in Los Angeles Sparks history?

> Three MVPs anchor this pool, yet a few of the names here earned their place with defense, bench minutes or one famous first basket.

*By YPB Team · Published October 28, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-best-player-in-los-angeles-sparks-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Lisa Leslie** — score 1000/1000
   Sparks center from 1997 to 2009, a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time champion who threw down the league's first dunk.
2. **Kristi Toliver** — score 754/1000
   Sharp-shooting guard who won the 2009 Most Improved Player award and the 2016 championship with the Sparks.
3. **Nneka Ogwumike** — score 636/1000
   Sparks forward from 2012 to 2023, the 2016 MVP who hit the title-clinching shot in that year's Finals.
4. **Chelsea Gray** — score 538/1000
   Point guard who blossomed in Los Angeles from 2016 to 2020, winning the 2016 title and making three All-Star teams.
5. **Tina Thompson** — score 538/1000
   Hall of Famer who spent 2010 and 2011 in Los Angeles near the end of her career as the WNBA's then all-time leading scorer.
6. **Dearica Hamby** — score 418/1000
   Versatile forward who became a Sparks All-Star in 2024 after arriving from Las Vegas.
7. **Candace Parker** — score 418/1000
   No. 1 pick in 2008 who won MVP and Rookie of the Year in her first season and led the Sparks to the 2016 title as Finals MVP.
8. **Chamique Holdsclaw** — score 418/1000
   Six-time All-Star who averaged about 17 points a game in Los Angeles in 2005 after a trade from Washington.
9. **Alana Beard** — score 0/1000
   Defensive stopper who won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2017 and 2018 for the Sparks.
10. **Penny Toler** — score 0/1000
   Original Sparks guard who scored the first basket in WNBA history in 1997 and later served as the team's general manager.
11. **Jantel Lavender** — score 0/1000
   Ohio State forward who spent 2011-2018 with the Sparks and won Sixth Woman of the Year in 2016.

Tags: women, basketball, players, wnba, los angeles sparks