LOS ANGELES — Southern California not only welcomed a new head coach for the Sparks in Lynne Roberts, but they were also introduced to a new version of longtime veteran Azura Stevens.
When Roberts was hired by the Sparks in November 2024, the 50-year-old brought with her a new style, with players encouraged to shoot threes and play with pace. Stevens, at 6-foot-6, has often been referred to as a “unicorn,” combining her impressive size with a soft touch beyond the 3-point line.
With Roberts in Los Angeles, it seemed like a perfect match for Stevens, and it was, for the most part, as the 29-year-old enjoyed a resurgent season playing under the rookie head coach and alongside star guard Kelsey Plum. So drastic was Stevens’ turnaround that she was considered one of the frontrunners to win the Most Improved Player (MIP) award this season.
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Part of what helped Stevens log an impressive season was the fact that she remained healthy. Before the Sparks’ 81-80 win over the Wings on Aug. 20, Dallas head coach Chris Koclanes lauded how Stevens was able to stay true to herself and injury-free, which led to her impressive season.
Speaking exclusively with Mirror U.S. Sports before that matchup, Stevens shared what it meant to be considered for MIP amid her breakout season.
“Yeah, I mean, it feels good,” she admitted. “I agree with Chris, it’s just me being healthy, and I’ve been able to do that this year, so that’s a huge accomplishment, but I mean it’s exciting, obviously.”
In her third season with the Sparks, Stevens averaged career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (8.0), assists (2.1), and games played (44), and tied a career high in steals per game (1.2). Stevens’ 3-point (38.1) percentage and blocks per game (1.1) were also tied for second-highest and second-most in her career, respectively.
While winning MIP would have been a standout moment, Stevens was focused on one thing — helping the team fight to make it to the playoffs.
“Being able to win an honor like that would be really cool, but you know, I’m just focused on the games right now, and whatever happens with the voting, happens,” she said.
“We know what we need to do, and it’s exciting, obviously, for those of us who returned. Last year, we weren’t in this position; we weren’t even close, so it feels good to be able to see the fruits of our labor from the last year and even the year before that. We know what we need to do, so we just gotta come out and do it.”
The season did not end the way Stevens and the Sparks wanted it to. Although Los Angeles won 13 more games compared to last season (21 to eight), the Sparks missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, with their playoff chances being snuffed after the Golden State Valkyries lost to the Seattle Storm.
What’s more, though the WNBA has yet to announce who won MIP, Valkyries star Veronica Burton is the heavy favorite for the award after already being named the Associated Press’ Most Improved Player this season. Burton increased her output in essentially every category, eclipsing even Stevens’ performance.
Despite a disappointing end to the season, Stevens reflected on the year with joy when speaking to reporters during the Sparks’ exit interviews.
“I think it was a great year for me. I think everyone can see that. I was healthy, which was really different than most of my career,” she replied when asked by Mirror U.S. Sports to recount her season. “So, I mean, that was a plus for me, and I think everybody got to see what I can do when I’m healthy.”
After reflecting on her own personal successes, her attention turned to the team and how this season was completely different from the eight-win squad she was on last year, lauding the job Roberts and the team did. “As for the team, obviously, like we wanted to make playoffs, so it’s a disappointment that we didn’t,” she continued. “But, I mean, I sat in a locker room, like, compared to last year, it was a complete difference.
“The energy, the wins, I mean, the systems, everything was a win, I think, personally, and as a team, for all of us. Just going through what we went through last year, it was refreshing to have Lynne coming here. And, obviously, you never know with a new coach how it’s going to pan out. But, I mean, she did an amazing job, honestly, for her first year. And us adding [Kelsey Plum] and others, it was just a great season for us and a good foundation block for moving forward.”
With how the season ended, Stevens elected to look on the bright side, choosing to see how the Sparks can continue to grow.
“So, it’s bittersweet because we wanted to make playoffs and we were that close, but I think we have so many positives that we can draw from this and just keep building on that,” she concluded.