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Lexie Brown is having a quietly good WNBA season for the LA Sparks. Curt Miller has counted on Brown to regain the form that made her look like a borderline All-Star in 2023. The Sparks, which are embracing a full rebuild with Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, have leaned on the veteran guard for her leadership and skills.
In 12 games last season, Brown averaged 12.4 points and 2.4 assists, and looked like she would have a breakout year. The former lottery pick, however, suffered a then-mysterious illness that sapped her energy. She tried to play through it but her body would just not cooperate, forcing the Sparks to shut her down.
In November 2023, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, something Brown thought that “old people got.” Mayo Clinic describes it as a “type of inflammatory bowel disease." Among its effects are “abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss, issues that Lexie Brown suffered through.
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In an interview with Andscape’s Jerry Bembry, Brown narrated what she felt at that time when the doctors told her about her illness:
“I kept thinking, ‘What am I gonna do? Am I gonna be able to play basketball again?’ I had worked so hard to get to that stage in my career, and I was playing well. My mind was all over the place.”
The 2021 WNBA champ has had three surgeries already, according to the report. She is set to have a fourth one but it is a process she wants to undergo after the Sparks’ season is over. With the way Brown has been playing, it seems like she has responded well to the medication.
The LA Sparks gave Lexie Brown a new contract despite having Chron’s Disease
2024 was the final of a two-year deal Lexie Brown had signed with the LA Sparks in February 2023. With Chron’s Disease cutting her season short, Lexie Brown’s future in the WNBA looked murky. Many were thinking that the Sparks might let her go once her contract expires.
The opposite, however, happened for the grateful Brown after the team gave her a new two-year, $195K extension. She will be with the Sparks until at least the 2026 season. Sparks coach Curt Miller saw everything he needed to see in 2023 and was convinced she would recover from her illness.
Brown appreciated the Sparks for believing in her and giving her a new deal when “they didn’t have to extend” the veteran guard.
