(East Los Angeles, CA) January 7, 2022 [From The Editor’s Desk]: In what has been a very busy “off-season” in the WNBA, the Sparks have managed to re-sign their 6’4 center/forward, Lauren Cox, a 3 x All-American, 2020 graduate from Baylor University. She was acquired last season at the mid-way mark and immediately contributed to the Sparks final drive to secure a playoff spot, but came up short, losing to the Dallas Wings (87-84). Here is the full press announcement that was recently issued by the team’s Public Relations & Communications Department.

Sparks Re-Sign Lauren Cox 

L.A. Re-Signs 2020 No. 3 Overall Pick

(LOS ANGELES) – The Los Angeles Sparks announced on January 4th, the re-signing of 6-foot-4 center Lauren Cox after she accepted a qualifying offer. The Sparks first signed Cox on 6/30 of the 2021 WNBA season. Last year Cox made 15 appearances for the team, averaging a career-high 14 minutes per game, and posting single-game career highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and minutes played (23).

“Lauren joined the Sparks midway through last season and embraced her role,” General Manager/Head Coach Derek Fisher said. “She contributed to our team’s defensive success and provided rebounding   and frontcourt depth. We’re excited to add Lauren back to our roster and for her continued development as a WNBA player.”

Cox was selected No. 3 overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. After playing 13.1 minutes per game as a rookie for the Fever and 8.6 minutes per game through 11 contests in 2021, she was waived. The Sparks signed her three days later and she made immediate strides throughout the remainder of the 2021 season, improving her player efficiency rating, defensive rating, rebounding percentage, and block percentage. She averaged 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 14 minutes per game for the Sparks.

At Baylor University, Cox was a three-time All-American and guided the program to the 2019 National Championship. She won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year twice and was the 2020 Big 12 Player of the Year.

Cox is from Grapevine, Texas and along with her sister Whitney, earned the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award from the United States Professional Basketball Writers Association in 2020 for her community involvement and on-court excellence while playing with Type-1 diabetes. The award is given to athletes showing extraordinary courage and reflecting honor.

[ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS]: Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles Sparks are one of three original franchises in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sparks have won three WNBA Championships (2001, 2002, 2016), have qualified for the playoffs in 20 of their 25 seasons and remain the only active team in the league to win back-to-back titles. The Los Angeles Sparks are dedicated to ensuring each home game at Crypto.com Arena has a championship level entertainment experience while showcasing the best female athletes from around the world on the court. L.A. Sparks 2022 season tickets are now available for purchase.  

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