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It wasn’t a question for Lynne Roberts or the Sparks. They were going to support Alissa Pili the whole way.

It just worked out that she recovered in time to join the team when they needed, well, a spark.

“I’m proud of her,” Roberts said. “She’s in great shape physically. She looks good…. I think for us, she can be a really good backup forward. She’s just so strong. It’s hard to articulate. We got big grown men as our practice guys, and they just bounce off her like pinballs and kind of look at her like, ‘whoa!’ Like she’s just so strong.”

Last fall, Pili signed to play in Australia for the Geelong Venom following her short initial stint with the Sparks in hopes of sticking with a team once the CBA was settled.

Two minutes into her first game with the Venom, she tore a ligament in her right ankle.

Minnesota Lynx forward Alissa Pili (35) warms up before the WNBA game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA on September 17, 2024. Photo Credit: Chris Poss

After two months, Pili returned and averaged 13 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in eight games with the Venom.

Thinking she was in the clear, she went to Nashville for her second season with Athletes Unlimited, looking to make up for some of the lost offseason playing time.

She averaged 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds on 56% shooting and was looking to begin deciding where she would go in the WNBA.

But back home in Alaska a month later, something was wrong.

Her ankle was infected, and she would need another surgery, delaying the start to her WNBA campaign.

“It was tough for sure,” Pili said. “That’s the longest I’ve ever been out of basketball because of injury. But it was good I could be surrounded and supported by family while I was going through everything.”

Pili was a dominant player in college, starring for Roberts’ Utes. She won the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year award and was a WBCA Coaches All-American, while Utah made it to the Sweet 16 and won a Pac-12 title. That all came after she was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year at USC.

“Having coached her, I know how to use her, and we will get into that more,” Roberts said. “But she’s still on DP, right? So we’re limited in how many games… She can shoot, pass, and she’s just so dang strong.”

She was drafted 8th overall by Minnesota in 2024 and played just over 6 minutes per game there before joining the Sparks for five games, averaging 3.2 points on 50% shooting.

“I have something to prove,” Pili said. “I kind of play with a chip on my shoulder. With the development player contract, you only get a certain amount of games, so you have to prove yourself and take advantage of the opportunities given to you and maximize your time to get on the roster.”

Determined to get a chance in the WNBA in 2026, Pili rehabbed at home and went to Los Angeles in June, when the team was supporting her recovery while she worked with the trainers away from the team. When she was ready to play, they told her she would get the chance to be a development player.

“Once I healed and was ready to amp it up a bit, I came to LA,” she said. “The staff helped me do more to progress to get back on the court.”

The Sparks held Pili’s rights after her short stint with the team last year, but didn’t officially sign her to a developmental deal until she was ready to take the floor.

Her first appearance was in a win over the Indiana Fever at Crypto.com Arena, to a good applause. She played 12 minutes, scored 4 points and added five rebounds.

She’s hoping to make a leap to the regular roster; the Sparks already made that move once when they added Kate Martin.

Pili adds something else as a physical forward with a whole lot of determination.

“I’m just going to be who I am,” Pili said. “I like being a physical, strong player that can impact the game. That’s going to be my mindset.”

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