Sparks Notes: Former LA Coach Hired By Tempo, Candace Parker Reacts to Shohei Ohtani
The Toronto Tempo are reportedly hiring former Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Sandy Brondello as the expansion franchise's first head coach, ahead of their first WNBA season in 2026, according to Title IX Sports' Howard Megdal.
Before spending eight seasons as head coach of the Phoenix Mercury and, most recently, leading the New York Liberty, Brondello was an assistant coach for the Sparks — joining the purple and gold's coaching staff alongside Joe "Jellybean" Bryant in 2011 and remaining on the L.A. sidelines until 2013.
Candace Parker, a former star for the WNBA's Sparks, was on-site at Dodger Stadium on Friday to watch Shohei Ohtani's legendary performance in the MLB's L.A. Dodgers' 5-1 win, which clinched a 2025 World Series appearance. Parker provided a plethora of thoughts and reactions, via TNT Sports.
"Seeing [Shohei] Ohtani up close ... it's crazy," Parker said, during the Dodgers win. "That's so cool."
Here’s all the latest Sparks news and stories (click the headline for the full article):
Sparks Tweets of the Day:
A look at the LA Sparks’ new $150 million practice facility in El Segundo — set to open in 2027.
— Ben Geffner (@BenGeffner) September 25, 2025
It marks the largest investment in the history of women’s sports for a single team.
MORE: https://t.co/3q1iDF7Io3pic.twitter.com/eO71oEOB2b
From Monday — Sparks’ Cameron Brink reacts to her season-ending nose injury suffered in LA’s 2025 finale vs Aces:
— Ben Geffner (@BenGeffner) September 17, 2025
✍️🔗: https://t.co/kMyVURw2GR pic.twitter.com/EJqL0gQmEj
Angel Reese to the Sparks?
— LA Sports Report (@LA_SportsReport) September 10, 2025
🚨🔗 More on potential trade destinations for Chicago’s star, following a recent report: https://t.co/mLzmGUXSPu
Kelsey Plum, in her first season in LA, led the Sparks to their highest single-season win total since 2019.
— Ben Geffner (@BenGeffner) September 12, 2025
2025 — 21-23
‘24 — 8-32
‘23 — 17-23
‘22 — 13-23
‘21 — 12-20
‘20 — 15-7
“We’ll be back …[the culture] is changing,” she said postgame on Thursday.https://t.co/AU3pe4EXNY
For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Sparks, visit Los Angeles Sparks on SI.
Ben Geffner is an award-winning sports journalist and current student at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. A greater Los Angeles native now with countless years of extensive and dedicated experience — including beat reporting, writing, play-by-play broadcast, television anchoring, podcasting and video production — Ben remains eager to contribute as credentialed media covering the LA Sparks.
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