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Magic Johnson's Frustration May Have Foretold Curt Miller's Los Angeles Sparks Fate

While Los Angeles Sparks parted ways with Curt Miller on Tuesday, Sparks owner Magic Johnson may have had this change forecasted for some time.

Grant Young

Sep 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Commanders owner Magic Johnson before the game against Portland Thorns FC at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Commanders owner Magic Johnson before the game against Portland Thorns FC at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Sparks announced that they have mutually parted ways with head coach Curt Miller.

Miller just completed his second season with the Sparks. They finished with a league-worst 8-32 record, which came one year after they went 17-23.

While this regression from Miller's first season to his second may have occurred regardless, it's worth noting that the Sparks were playing adequately better before they lost standout rookie Cameron Brink to an ACL injury earlier in the summer.

Alas, that hasn't stopped Los Angeles and Miller from going their separate ways.

Although this may have been unexpected in the eyes of WNBA fans (and Sparks standout Dearica Hamby, given her reaction to the news over social media), a quote from Sparks co-owner and NBA legend Magic Johnson from a September 19 article by Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times may have foretold Miller's departure.

”Everybody should be mad at the Sparks,” Johnson said in the article. “Our fans should be mad. This is not what we all would want.”

He later added that, "I’m going to get more involved... I I think I have to get more involved, and I’ll do that, that’s a commitment to the fans, that I will get more involved and be part of it more to help bring the Sparks back to a championship level.”

When Johnson was asked about Miller's performance in the piece, he said, “Curt has been up against it because injuries have hurt us … but you’ve got to look at it from both sides. ... Did he make the proper adjustments, did he use the talent well? ... You also have to say, ‘Hey we are 7-32 for a reason.’”

Given that Los Angeles is one of the USA's biggest sports markets (especially for basketball), it's a shame that the Sparks have, well, lacked any spark this season.

Yet, given that they have two exciting rookies (in the aforementioned Brink and Rickea Jackson) plus are projected to get the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft — which ESPN predicts will be UConn superstar Paige Bueckers — things could turn around quickly for Los Angeles.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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