Sparks First-Round Pick Career Nearly Ended to Scary Surgery
The Los Angeles Sparks surprised the world during Monday's 2025 WNBA Draft, when they used their No. 9 overall pick on two-time All-SEC First Team Alabama guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, forgoing LSu star point guard Hailey Van Lith. Van Lith went to the Chicago Sky with the next pick.
At 6 feet tall, Barker could serve as a more versatile backcourt complement to three-time All-Star Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, while there may be some overlap in terms of ability and play style between Van Lith and Plum.
"A bulldog with her ability to get to the rim." 😤 #WNBADraft @SarahAshlee10 x @AlabamaWBB pic.twitter.com/u6Cw6tSYCA
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) April 17, 2025
To hear Barker tell it, however, there was a decent chance she may not have made the pros at all.
More Los Angeles Sparks News: Sparks Land Sarah Ashlee Barker With Ninth Overall Pick in WNBA Draft
During a fresh interview with Anthony De Leon of The Los Angeles Times, Barker revealed that she underwent a surgery that could have ended her career.
🚨NEW🚨: Spoke withe the @LASparks first-rounder Sarah Ashlee Barker one-on-one today.
— Anthony De Leon (@imjusthustlin) April 17, 2025
She opened up about opportunity, life, basketball and the career that almost didn’t happen.
Read more : ⬇️https://t.co/KrVVXSqVV9
As a 13-year-old eighth-grader, Barker was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans in her left knee, which per De Leon is "a condition that disrupts blood flow to a bone beneath joint cartilage, causing pain and limiting mobility."
Barker was given a recovery timeline of a year, following a procedure at Birmingham, Alabama's Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Two months later, Barker's doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, informed her that the surgery didn't take, and she would require a more invasive, four-hour procedure.
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"He told me [of the invasive procedure], ‘Hey, this surgery may not work,’” Barker said. “You need to ... be prepared that you may not be able to jump as well, cut as well and be as fast as you used to.”
Of course, the fact that she's now a rookie on the WNBA's marquee franchise is a testament to the reality that the surgery very much worked.
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“Thankfully, the surgery did end up working,” Barker revealed. “But I did have those what-ifs in the back of my mind. … I’m just so grateful for one more game or practice. … I almost had it taken away from me.”
Across 28 healthy games last year for the Crimson Tide, the 23-year-old averaged 18.2 points on .514/.375/.709 shooting splits, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists a night.
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Currently also a scribe for Newsweek, Hoops Rumors, The Sporting News and "Gremlins" director Joe Dante's film site Trailers From Hell, Alex is an alum of Men's Journal, Grizzlies fan site Grizzly Bear Blues, and Bulls fan sites Blog-A-Bull and Pippen Ain't Easy, among others.