Only five minutes into an October 2025 game in the WNBL, Alissa Pili suffered a severe ankle sprain. While it was clear she’d be temporarily sidelined, she couldn’t have predicted what would happen next, and how it would change the trajectory of the next few years.
She returned to the Geelong Venom after surgery a few months later and performed at a high level, averaging 13 points, 4.75 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game – as well as having a 28-point game and a 26-point outing two weeks later. But only a few months later, she was at home in Alaska with her family with an infection in her injured ankle.
Pili is a familiar face for the Los Angeles Sparks. She played five games for the team last season, averaging only 3.4 minutes per game, but 3.2 points in those minutes, notching more points than minutes played on two occasions. While she didn’t get a lot of opportunities, she certainly took advantage of her minutes.
But perhaps more notable is that she spent the first part of the 2026 season rehabbing, getting stronger, and working out in the Sparks practice facility. She was even spotted attending a few games with former general manager Raegan Pebley.
“[The Sparks] basically told me, you know, like take your time, be around your loved ones,” Pili told The IX Sports in regard to her conversations with the Sparks about her second surgery. The Sparks continued to hold Pili’s rights, but she was not rostered until July 5 when she signed a development contract.
“When I had my second surgery, and I wasn’t able to do a whole lot, [the Sparks] weren’t too adamant about getting me [to LA] yet,” Pili said. “I was taking my time because I wasn’t able to do much, you know, for the time being. So once it got closer to me doing more things like running, jumping, and all that kind of stuff, is when we planned to have me come [to LA] so they could monitor everything and make sure my ankle is okay.”
Whether she’s discussing ankle surgery, getting waived, or waiting to find out each game if she will be suiting up, Pili exudes a sense of calm, steadiness and warmth. She discusses her development contract with gratitude and practicality.
“It’s tough not knowing for sure whether you’ll be activated or not before each game,” Pili said. “You kind of have to play it by ear. Game days, you have to do a lot of mental preparing as well as physical. You have to put yourself in a position to be ready at all costs, no matter what the situation may be. So that’s kind of tough about it, but other than that, I’m in a really good spot.”
The use of the phrase “other than that” is intriguing, because she’s referring to the entire mental state she has to enter to play basketball. She went on to say that she appreciates that developmental players are fully integrated into the team, feeling like her role is important, and feeling supported.
“It’s not a situation where we feel separate,” she said.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
Pili notes that being in the Sparks’ facility, supported by their trainers and coaches, made a big difference for her not only physically, but mentally while recovering from surgery.
“For them to like get me here before I was even cleared to play to support my rehab and help bring me back and get healthy on the court, I think helped me a lot mentally,” Pili said. “Just to know, like they were there for me, and like they’re supporting me and my journey coming back, and it just gave me confidence.”
Even then, though, she acknowledged that nothing was guaranteed regarding a roster spot or even a developmental slot. The discussions were gradual, and Pili said she completely understood the Sparks’ need to play it by ear given her health and recovery. She followed their lead.
But Pili has a level of trust with head coach Lynne Roberts that goes deeper. Roberts was Pili’s head coach for two years at Utah, in which Pili averaged 21.5 points per game and was selected Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023. She lost out to current Sparks teammate Cameron Brink in 2024.
Pili feels that she can be totally honest with Roberts, and feels Roberts does the same in return.
“I know she wants what’s best for me, and she’s only gonna keep it real with me and vice versa,” Pili said. “We have that type of relationship where I can talk to her about certain stuff and kind of pick her brain about things, and to where I’m comfortable saying certain things to her. So I think having that, like coming here just made me a little more comfortable.”
While WNBA rosters have historically had an element of whiplash for deep bench players, due to 7-day, hardship, and now development contracts, Pili, as always, remains calm.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Perhaps it’s the trust she has with Roberts, or perhaps it’s the fact that she comes from a nine-child household, many of whom were athletes. Her older brother, Brandon Pili, played college football at USC – where Pili started her college basketball career – and now plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
Pili won 13 state championships in high school across volleyball, basketball and track and field. She’s the all-time leading scorer in girls basketball with 2,614 points. In high school, she could bench press 135 eight times. Steady and strong.
In her first outing of the season, Pili scored 4 points with five rebounds in 12 minutes against the Indiana Fever on July 8.
“Physically, she looks good,” Roberts said of Pili then. “She’s just a little sore, which is what happens. … She’s just so strong. It’s hard to articulate. We’ve got grown men as our practice guys, and they just bounce off her like pinballs.”
While Pili is still on a development contract and will have to wait to see how many of the next 17 games she is activated for, she smiles discussing her role, her team and her coach.
“I feel good physically,” she says, something she has waited a long time to say.
