USC Women's Basketball: All-Pac-12 Ex-Trojan Waived Right Before Start of WNBA Season

After being selected in the third round of the 2024 WNBA Draft by her hometown Los Angeles Sparks, 2023-24 All-Pac-12 wing McKenzie Forbes' pro aspirations were dealt a bit of a blow this week.

The Sparks announced on their official X account that they have cut Forbes, along with veteran guards Nia Clouden and Blake Dietrick, as they trim their roster down to the league-mandated 12-player maximum prior to the start of the 2024 season.

The 6-foot Folsom native spent her undergrad collegiate years at Cal and Harvard, before using her final season of eligibility as a grad student with USC. L.A. drafted her with the No. 28 overall pick. Now that she's been waived, Forbes becomes a free agent. Will she look to latch on with another WNBA club, or will she explore international opportunities for now? Time will tell.

Forbes emerged as a critical offensive cog on a terrific USC squad. The Cardinal and Gold went 29-6 and made it all the way to the Elite Eight. She also notched a Pac-12 Tourney MVP for her efforts in guiding USC to a victory in its inter-conference competition ahead of March Madness.

In 35 games (all starts), Forbes averaged 14.3 points on .384/.374/.781 shooting splits, 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals a night.

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