Just minutes into the season opener, Rae Burrell suffered a knee injury that ruled her out of the game.
The Sparks may have suffered another big injury blow early in their first game of the season.
In the first quarter of Friday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest expansion team, Rae Burrell went down with a knee injury. Closing out on a 3-point shooter, Burrell landed awkwardly and went down holding her right knee.
Burrell would be carried off the court, unable to put any pressure on her leg.
LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell was down on the floor for a while holding her right knee after contesting a three-point attempt by Golden State’s Carla Leite. Burrell was carried off the floor, unable to put any pressure on the right leg.
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) May 17, 2025
After initially ruling her out for just the first half, the Sparks soon followed up during halftime by ruling her out for the remainder of the game.
Burrell has been ruled out for the second half of Friday’s game (right lower extremity). https://t.co/6ni6zkdSml
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) May 17, 2025
Out of the break, Ion’s sideline reporter added a little more details, saying that Burrell was going through testing.
“I talked to Lynne Roberts, got an update on Rae Burrell, who will not return to this game. She doesn’t know a lot more, though, other than Rae’s getting that right leg tested.”
Burrell was primed for a big role this season. After a 2024 season in which she emerged as a role piece, 2025 looked set for a year in which she solidified her role, including potentially earning a spot in the starting lineup.
Knee injuries aren’t new to Burrell, unfortunately. In college, Burrell suffered an injury to the same right knee she injured on Friday. While it was not an ACL injury, it did limit her to 22 games her senior season. Similarly, a knee injury limited her to just three games in her rookie season.
Needless to say, losing a key rotation piece minutes into the season opener is less than ideal. Hopefully, it’s nothing more than a minor injury.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.