Laura Ziegler didn’t know when her chance would come. But she knew she had to be ready.
The Sparks rookie forward got her first real run of the season Sunday against the New York Liberty, and it came at a perfect time. With Cameron Brink out with an ankle injury and the frontcourt suddenly thin, Los Angeles needed someone to step up against one of the WNBA’s most intimidating frontlines. Ziegler gave them exactly that.
She played 10 minutes, scored four points on 2-of-2 shooting, grabbed a rebound and dished an assist. Nothing flashy. But it was the kind of hard-nosed, fundamentally sound minutes that can shift a game’s momentum. Her and-one finish through Satou Sabally in the paint? That was the moment a lot of people in the building took notice.
“In that third quarter she kind of got us going a little bit,” head coach Lynne Roberts said after the game. “She came in and played hard-nosed. I thought she did a great job.”
Ziegler is on one of the WNBA’s new developmental contracts, which limits her to just 12 activations all season. That means every game she’s available counts, whether she actually plays or not. It’s a tricky situation for a team trying to manage depth while keeping an eye on long-term development. The front office has been figuring out how to balance that with both Ziegler and Kate Martin on those deals.
But against the Liberty, options were limited. Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby couldn’t play the full game. Emma Cannon was available, but Roberts went with the rookie. And it paid off.
“She’s always in the right spot, and that can make up for a lot of things, especially defensively,” Roberts said. “We needed her and I’m really proud and happy for her.”
Preparation Behind the Scenes
Ziegler didn’t just show up and play well. She’s been grinding in practice, putting in extra work with the development coaches, lifting and adding muscle. She knew that when the call came, she couldn’t afford to hesitate.
“There’s a lot of things that go into that,” Ziegler said. “Coming in as a rookie is always a step up physically. Just putting on some muscle mass a little bit, playing against these older women.”
She also emphasized the mental side of staying ready while sitting on the bench. She’d visualize game situations, imagine what it would feel like to be on the court, and prepare herself not to overthink when the moment arrived.
“You got to mentally prepare yourself, envision what it’s like when you’re on the court,” she said. “I think that definitely helped.”
With Brink expected to miss a few weeks, Ziegler could see more opportunities. But she’s still limited by that development contract. She’s got 11 games left to make an impact. For now, she’s proven she belongs.
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