"It makes f**n sense to me" - Ex-WNBA champ pens emotional tribute to Teresa Weatherspoon for being her 'blueprint' in Unrivaled

On Monday, Dearica Hamby and Vinyl BC came within arms reach of winning the first-ever Unrivaled championship. Under Teresa Weatherspoon, the team posted a 5-9 record in the regular season.

While they narrowly made the playoffs, the team upset the Lunar Owls, who finished the regular season with a league-best 13-1 record, in the first round.

Hamby posted a heartelt tribute to Weatherspoon on social media, wrapping up a thrilling season that saw the two reaching the finals.

"SPOON!!! You came at the perfect time in my life. I wanted to grow in a certain area and you knew that without me having to say a word!! The blue print!!! Your fire .. motivation love and passion is one of a kind .. and it don’t gotta make sense to them but IT MAKES F**N SENSE TO ME," Hamby tweeted on Monday.

While it's unclear how Unrivaled will handle coaching assignments next year as coaches were randomly assigned to teams for the inaugural season, there's a chance that Hamby and Weatherspoon run things back next summer.

Unrivaled teammates Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell will look to carry momentum into 2025 WNBA season with LA Sparks

While the Unrivaled season provided plenty of WNBA players opportunities to compete alongside new teammates, it also allowed LA Sparks teammates Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell a chance to spend more time together.

At times, their familiarity with one another was a game-changer, like when Vinyl picked up a 72-65 win over Mist BC on Feb. 21. Hamby and Burrell wound up scoring every point for the team in the fourth quarter.

Similarly, in Vinyl's first-round upset over Lunar Owls, they combined for 27 points and 20 rebounds in Arike Ogunbowale's absence.

When they return to LA for the 2025 WNBA season, Hamby is hopeful that the extra time together will translate to more success.

"Rae’s one of (the Sparks) young dynamic pieces that we are looking to build around," Hamby said on Feb. 27, via the Associated Press. "So for her to continue to play in the offseason and get some confidence and develop chemistry between us and our other teammates, it’s a good opportunity for our team.”

With Cameron Brink returning to action, and the addition of Kelsey Plum, the 2025 WNBA season is shaping up to be an interesting one for the Sparks.