PHOENIX—On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Sparks announced that they have signed forward Liatu King to a hardship contract.
One day later, she made her WNBA debut in Phoenix, doing her best to help Los Angeles stay competitive in a close game.
Liatu King’s Impact on the Sparks in Her WNBA Debut
Liatu King got UP for that one 😮💨
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 22, 2025
This marks her first points in the W and a strong start on the boards for the rookie!
LAS-PHX | Free on the WNBA App, courtesy of @CarMax pic.twitter.com/KSLsqOfoXz
With Rickea Jackson and Rae Burrell sidelined due to injuries, King played 13 minutes of action, contributing four points and three rebounds in the loss.
King expressed gratitude for returning to the Sparks on a hardship contract, aiming to make an impact on the team featuring stars like Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens, and Kelsey Plum.
"Honestly, it feels great," King told Ballislife. "I'm a true believer that everything happens for a reason. Getting waived wasn't the best feeling in the world, but I'm appreciative to be called back in for the staff. And everybody has trusted me (and) wants to call me back."
King checked in at the start of the second quarter and scored her first points of her WNBA career by tipping the basket in with her athleticism while drawing the foul. It was an exciting moment for her, head coach Lynne Roberts, and the Sparks during a back-and-forth game against the Mercury on the road.
"I'm impressed with her," Roberts said postgame. "She's just a competitor, and what I said before the game kind of rang true in her minutes. She has the ability to create extra possessions for us. So she got a couple key boards, had an impressive tip in offensive rebound in traffic (and) got a big charge call. Those are all big plays—They don't really stand out in the stat sheet, but I thought she did a tremendous job with just having been with the team for about 24 hours."
King’s Journey: From Being Waived to Rejoining the Sparks
In the preseason, King proved to the Sparks that she deserved a roster spot after scoring six points and four rebounds in a preseason matchup against the Golden State Valkyries.
Roberts and general manager Reagan Pebley praised King's contributions both on and off the court during media day. They expressed their gratitude for King while describing the training camp as competitive.
"Liatu did a great job in our camp," Roberts said of King pregame. "We drafted her in the third round, competed and did some really good things. It was really hard to let her go. You know, we don't run the most simple system. It's a lot of reading and reacting, and there are some rules to it, and Liatu already knew those. And so it was an easy decision to bring her back to provide depth in that wing spot."
Throughout her college career at the University of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, King made a significant impact on both programs. In her senior year with the Panthers, she averaged career-highs in every major statistical category and was named the ACC's Most Improved Player of the Year. King averaged 18.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 35.4 minutes per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field.
In her graduate year with the Fighting Irish, King set a record for rebounds per game in a season, averaging 10.8, while also scoring an average of 11.5 points per game as the team advanced to the Sweet 16.
King and her teammates, guards Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld, were all selected in the 2025 WNBA Draft, with King going to the Washington Mystics and Westbeld to the Chicago Sky. King expressed her gratitude to her family—especially her godmother— as well as to the coaching staff at both the University of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.
"It's a blessing," King told Ballislife. "Not a lot of people can say that they were drafted and are able to live out their dreams and play in the W. It takes a lot of hard work, I had a great support system coming from high school to college, and then even my support system at Notre Dame. I was only there for one year, but it felt like I was there forever because of how much they embraced me, the coaching staff and my teammates there."
How the Sparks Acquired King in the 2025 WNBA Draft
The LA Sparks selected King with the 28th overall pick in the third round of this year's WNBA Draft after she played at Notre Dame. Pebley described King as an "excellent rebounder and tenacious defender," emphasizing that she aligns well with the team's identity.
"What she's really good at is creating other possessions," Roberts said. "She's an incredible rebounder on both ends of the ball—she can defend. She only took one three at Notre Dame, her senior year, but she can shoot it. And so I just want her to be herself, be that a great athlete has a great understanding of what we're trying to do. And she flew in from South Bend yesterday morning, landed at 8:30 and was in practice, and it was like she never left. So glad to have her and grateful that she's with us."
When King learned that she would be returning to the Sparks on Tuesday, she seemed prepared for the challenge presented by Roberts and her coaching staff. Los Angeles is pleased with King's commitment to playing hard and bringing intensity to the game.
"They called me back for a reason," King told Ballislife. "And so just trusting myself and doing the things that they already saw in training camp. I know that they were very pleased with my rebounding and defensive intensity. So just bringing that here, I'm still a rookie here. So just still learning the things but overall, just very confident in myself, my abilities, and just going out there playing hard— that's what they want to see."
Coach Roberts is in her first season with the Los Angeles Sparks as a head coach after spending the last ten years with the University of Utah. She developed notable names across the university, such as Alissa Pili, who plays for the Minnesota Lynx, and was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2023.
King shares Coach Roberts and her staff's advice on making an impact on both ends of the court, highlighting her ability to rebound quickly and hustle throughout the game.
"That's one of her key things," King told Ballislife. "If you want to play, if you want to be great, if you want to win games, it comes down to possession. And honestly, that's something that I've always had in me. I've always been a tenacious rebounder, so it's not like I have to come here and learn it, and so that thing that's what's great for me in this position."
Sparks Remain Optimistic About King's Impact Despite Loss to Mercury
The Sparks suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Phoenix Mercury on the road, despite Plum's impressive performance, scoring 25 points and providing six assists. Roberts highlighted that Los Angeles continued to fight throughout the game, especially considering the team's optimism regarding King's potential and her impact on the court.
“It was kind of a game of runs," Roberts said. "I’m proud of our team for fighting back twice – getting into double-digit holes there and fought back. It was just back and forth. AT (Alyssa Thomas) kind of took over there in the fourth quarter. They were running good stuff for her. We just kind of hiccupped there in the third quarter offensively, and we were playing catch-up the whole rest of the game.”
The Los Angeles Sparks will take on the Golden State Valkyries at home on Friday night. The Valkyries just won their first win in franchise history over the Washington Mystics at home on Wednesday.
