In her two games so far in a Los Angeles Sparks jersey, Monique Akoa Makani is averaging 5.0 points and 1.5 assists in 17.5 minutes. While it doesn’t stack up numerically to the 23.9 points and 6.4 assists the Sparks were getting from Kelsey Plum — Akoa Makani’s counterpart in the Sparks-Mercury trade — her presence has already been felt.
In her second game for the Sparks, an upset of the top-ranked Minnesota Lynx, Akoa Makani played valuable minutes down the stretch, finishing with seven points in 19 minutes. She made it a two possession game with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter on a step back jumper, ultimately sealing the game for the Sparks.
So far, she’s been a breath of fresh air for the Sparks. While a relatively low volume shooter, she has averaged 40% from deep over her two seasons so far in the WNBA. She’s efficient, with an effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the value of a three-pointer into the field goal percentage, of 60.2% in the past two seasons.
She plays good on-ball defense, which the Sparks have severely lacked on the perimeter. And, she is a winner: she started 40 games for a team that made a run to the finals in 2025, ultimately earning her a spot on the 2025 WNBA All-Rookie Team.
After the Minnesota game, Head Coach Lynne Roberts told reporters “Monique was tremendous. She’s been with us for four days. She played down the stretch, played in the final minutes. This has been an interesting four days, but I’m proud of our group.”
From her first game with the Sparks to her second game — which were ultimately less than 24 hours apart as the result of road back-to-backs — Roberts noted that her new player already looked more comfortable from the first to second outing.
“She’s just a really, really smart player,” Roberts said. “It’s one thing to learn plays and stuff, but every program, every team, has their own vernacular … of what you use for different terms on defense particularly. So to pick that up as quick as she has just speaks to her IQ on the court, understanding what we’re trying to do.
“We knew she was good, when we got her in the trade,” Roberts continued. “But she’s showing just how poised she is. … She was a huge difference maker for us tonight.”
While the Sparks played without Akoa Makani in Sunday’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries, she looked locked in on the bench, celebrating with the team and hyping up her teammates, and appeared already fully ingrained in the culture of the squad. Prior to the game, she’d posted a few photographs of her in her new purple and gold uniform to her Instagram, with the caption “Two games in and I already feel wanted here. Not just welcomed but expected. That hits different. Still learning the playbook but already seeing what this group is capable of.”
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At her first practice back in Los Angeles after joining her new team mid-road trip, Akoa Makani told reporters that, while she thinks of herself as a fairly “chill” person, she did have to work through a lot of emotions when she found out she was traded, which she says was a surprise. Two games in, she says she’s relying a lot on her teammates, asking questions and taking welcomed feedback to adjust and “bring [her] little contribution.”
After the Lynx win, teammate Cameron Brink said in an on-court interview that “Mo has been such an amazing addition for us,” stating that Akoa Makani brings confidence to the team.
“I can’t say enough good things about Mo,” Brink continued. “She’s come in and already been a leader for us. She’s spread words of wisdom for us … we’re just happy to have her.”
As Brink should be. In the win, Brink boasted a +/- of +22, in only a seven point win. Akoa Makani was right behind her with +20. Her effort was quiet, much like it had been for the Mercury over the past two seasons. She might not lighting up the stat sheet, but she shows up when it mattered, defends the primary ball handler — in this case, often Olivia Miles — and expertly defends the pick-and-roll, a skill not lost on Brink, who will often be her counterpart on the defensive end.
“It’s really cool,” Akoa Makani said, referencing playing defense with Brink as her anchor. “When I get beat, which doesn’t happen a lot,” she said with a smile, “I know that she definitely got my back. And Nneka, we have amazing post players.”
While Akoa Makani may only be in her second year in the WNBA, the 25-year-old Cameroonian point guard is not new to professional basketball. She’s played in the big leagues in France since 2018, at only age 17. She started in the country’s second tier league (Ligue 2) before helping her team win the league title and get promoted to the Ligue Féminine de Basketball, France’s premiere women’s league in 2023.
Unlike many undrafted players who have entered the WNBA on training camp contracts, she did not get waived when the Mercury had to make their final 12-person roster last year. She stayed, and she thrived.
“I don’t like to get too hyped,” Akoa Makani said following her Lynx performance, and Coach Roberts’ faith in her to have her in to close the game. “But I would say I take pride in it, because that means I have enough of an impact on the team to be able to be on the court, and as a player, as a point guard, as a person, I always look to have the [most] impact possible.” She said she felt the trust.
Her hope for this team through the last 13 games of the season is that everyone plays with confidence and stays “unified” no matter what happens. “To me, in those situations, you have to take it one day at a time, one game at a time. If we are letting a loss or anything else take us apart, it’s not going to work.”
The Sparks play on Tuesday against Akoa Makani’s former Phoenix Mercury. While both Plum and Akoa Makani were sidelined in their respective most recent games, both players’ statuses are currently unknown for Tuesday.
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Dave Yapkowitz-Mendez contributed reporting to this story.
