Evina changes teams—again.
Former South Salem High standout Westbrook inked by the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks
Former South Salem High and UConn basketball star Evina Westbrook has signed a seven-day hardship contract to play with the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. Westbrook was picked up by LA Monday after starting the year with the Phoenix Mercury, who had claimed her off WNBA waivers in May. She appeared in nine games for Phoenix, averaging one point a game. She then played for the Libertadores pro team in Mexico, where she averaged just over 6 ½ points a game in better than 28 minutes a contest.
Evina was originally drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 2022 league draft by Seattle, but was released due to continued problems with player salary funding. She was later picked up by Minnesota, where she played in 14 games. She finished the year with the Washington Mystics, were she played in six games, averaging a career best 3.3 points in that short stretch.
Westbrook’s signing by the Sparks came after several injuries left them with a short bench for their upcoming games on the schedule. Evina will wear the number 2 for Los Angeles—which hosts the New York Liberty on Tuesday before embarking on a short three-game road trip. The Sparks are in ninth place among the league’s 12 teams.