The Los Angeles Sparks will be without Lexie Brown for the 11th straight game Wednesday as Brown continues to recover from an unspecified non-COVID illness.
Brown, who joined the team in 2021 as a free agent, had been having a breakout season to start 2023. The 28-year-old guard averaged a career-high 13.3 points per game, as well as 2.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals through the first nine games. Her shooting percentages — overall and from 3-point range — are also career highs.
Last Thursday, Brown took to Instagram to address her extended absence, writing that she’s “thankful & grateful.” She also made it seem like she could make her return sooner rather than later.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lexie Brown (@lexiebrown)
A post shared by Lexie Brown (@lexiebrown)
“I want to send a special thank you to everyone that helped me get through an extremely difficult time. The support, care, and love has been so real,” she wrote. “I’m so excited to start the process of getting back on the court and finishing the season strong. Remember to listen to your body and take care of it. It’s the only one you have.”
Brown is one of many players out for the Sparks, including Chiney Ogwumike, Nia Clouden and Layshia Clarendon.
“While many of my teams have endured injuries, I have never experienced anything like this year,” head coach Curt Miller wrote Monday on Twitter. “Nineteen games into the season, we have now had players miss 57 games with injuries/illnesses. If you included two season-ending (injuries), we have 95 games missed by players!”