General manager Raegan Pebley, right, reacts as she announces Lynne Roberts as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks during a press conference at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) New Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, left, speaks as Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley looks on during Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks players Rae Burrell, left, Dearica Hamby, center, and Cameron Brink listen as Lynne Roberts (not pictured) is announced as the WNBA team’s new head coach during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley announces Lynne Roberts, not pictured, as the new head coach of the WNBA team during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) New Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, left, speaks as Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley looks on during Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley, right, and new head coach Lynne Roberts share a light moment during Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) New Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, left, speaks as Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley looks on during Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Katelin Roberts, the wife of new Sparks coach Lynne Roberts, looks on with their twin sons Miles, left, and Henry, right, during Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley, right, reacts as she announces Lynne Roberts as the new head coach of the WNBA team during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks players Rae Burrell, left, Dearica Hamby, center, and Cameron Brink listen as Lynne Roberts (not pictured) is announced as the WNBA team’s new head coach during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley, right, speaks as new Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts looks on during a press conference introducing Roberts on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley, left, sparks as new Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, right, looks on during Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley, right, reacts as she announces Lynne Roberts as the new head coach of the WNBA team during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks players Rae Burrell, left, Dearica Hamby, center, and Cameron Brink listen as Lynne Roberts (not pictured) is announced as the WNBA team’s new head coach during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) New Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, right, with her wife Katelin Roberts and twin boys Miles and Henry, right, poses for photos after her introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) New Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts and her twin sons Henry, left, and Miles, right, pose for photos after her introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sparks player Rae Burrell looks on as Lynne Roberts (not pictured) is announced as the WNBA team’s new head coach during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Lynne Roberts is announced as the new head coach of the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks during a press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 24General manager Raegan Pebley, right, reacts as she announces Lynne Roberts as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks during a press conference at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG) Expand LOS ANGELES — Lynne Roberts and UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close spent this past Memorial Day weekend together, about a decade after Roberts’ first Pac-12 coaches meeting upon being hired at the University of Utah. In addition to being opposing coaches, the two have become friends. And during their late May vacation, they sat and watched the WNBA together, trading hypotheticals about how they would handle certain situations. Two minds with differing perspectives on basketball, but a shared love for the game, and a similar desire to eventually reach its highest level. “Honestly,” Close told the Southern California News Group on Wednesday, “her and I talked about how this could be something that we both want down the road. I just was surprised it happened so fast, but she’s ready.” Roberts was announced as the Sparks’ new head coach Tuesday. She leaves her post at Utah, where she coached for nine seasons and led the Utes to a 3-1 record to start this season. Roberts rebuilt Utah in her image, with her play style and offensive system, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons and earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in 2023. In June, Roberts had signed a contract extension to remain at Utah through 2030. The last 10 years of her life, Roberts said, were poured into that place and she remained “100 percent invested in Utah.” So why did Roberts feel now was the time to make this career-leap? “This is a golden opportunity,” Roberts, 49, said during her introductory press conference on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. “As a competitor, the chance to coach the best players in the world, that’s what I want.” Roberts, though, proceeded to say she might not have left Utah for another WNBA franchise. She feels the Sparks, being in L.A., offer a premier market for increasing the popularity of women’s basketball and that the franchise has a vision for improving itself. The Sparks have made progress recently, taking steps to source their own practice facility, securing the second overall pick in the 2025 draft, and conducting a “global search” for their next head coach, ultimately landing on Roberts. Roberts knew Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley from their time coaching against one another in college. The process to find their new coach started with Pebley and the Sparks’ front office partnering with TurnkeyZRG, a leading executive search firm specializing in sports, media, and entertainment. The organization conducted a number of interviews with Roberts and additional candidates before coming to a decision. “We wanted somebody that would be a developer,” Pebley said Thursday. “And when I say developer, I mean more nurturer, that means you have to be a great leader. So that was the third thing we were really looking for … With Lynne, I say we check, check, check, on all of those; and a basketball mind, who’s forward-thinking.” Roberts has ideas of how the Sparks can partner with Close at UCLA and Lindsay Gottlieb at USC – head coaches at two top women’s college programs, with whom Roberts has close personal and professional relationships – to optimize the ripe media market in Los Angeles and grow women’s basketball. She wants the Sparks to be the “starship” in that process. Pebley seconded that notion, explaining how it was a selling point for hiring Roberts. “That was intentional,” she said. “We were bringing someone into this role that had pre-existing relationships because this is a community of women’s basketball and, quite frankly, women’s athletics that is exceptional.” Roberts also stood out because of her basketball mind. After her Utes went 5-16 during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, she spent time working with the Utah Jazz, attending the NBA team’s practices and speaking with then-coach Quin Snyder to reinvent her system. “That’s when I did the deep dive analytically about what really translates into winning and women’s basketball,” said Roberts, who was joined at Thursday’s press conference by her wife, Katelin Roberts, and twin sons, Miles and Henry. Related Articles LA Sparks | Sparks hire Utah’s Lynne Roberts as new head coach LA Sparks | Sparks secure No. 2 pick in WNBA Draft Lottery, eyes set on top prospects LA Sparks | WNBA players opt out of CBA, face potential work stoppage LA Sparks | Here are 5 candidates for the Sparks’ coaching vacancy LA Sparks | Sparks, after franchise-worst season, have nowhere to go but up She harped on attacks on the rim and paint touches that led to quality 3-point looks. From then on, her Utah teams rarely attempted mid-range shots, instead emphasizing the highest quality shots for points per shot attempt, she said, which is around the rim and 3-pointers. Her system, though, is fluid and she will adapt to optimize the Sparks’ personnel. That includes promising second-year players Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson; post players Dearica Hamby, Azurá Stevens and Li Yueru; key returners Stephanie Talbot and Rae Burrell; and guards Julie Allemand (ankle) and Lexie Brown (Crohn’s disease), who missed the second half of last season. The Sparks will soon announce their plans for a practice facility in the region after partnering with Transwestern, a national real estate leader. It’s clear, with all these additions and advancements, that progress is being made, and the Sparks believe Roberts is a capable figure at the forefront.