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The LA Sparks will be without guard Lexie Brown for their Saturday primetime game against the New York Liberty at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 2021 WNBA champion will miss her first game of the season on Saturday.
Brown is listed as out for Sparks' game vs Liberty with an "illness". Her absence is another body blow to Curt Miller's team, which has been rattled by injuries recently.
Brown will be among the three Sparks players who will remain sidelined on Saturday. Cameron Brink (left knee) and Azura Stevens (left arm) are the other two Sparks players listed as out for the Liberty game.
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The Sparks have had a tough start to their season, having lost 12 of 16 games, so the absence of key rotational players like Lexie Brown comes as a major jolt.
Lexie Brown in 2024 WNBA season
After missing the bulk of last season, Lexie Brown began the 2024 season by featuring in 16 consecutive games for LA Sparks. The six-year veteran is having a decent campaign in the league this season.
The 29-year-old is averaging, 8.1 points in 23.7 minutes along with 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds. Brown is shooting 32.1%, including 30.4% from the 3-point range.
In the Sparks' previous WNBA game, which was against the Liberty on June 20, Brown was on the court for just 6:34 minutes. The veteran guard didn't score a point and shot 0-of-3, including 0-2 from beyond the arc.
Lexie Brown missed most of the last season with illness. She featured in just 12 games in 2023. After the last season, she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
Lexie Brown on her battle with Crohn's disease
Brown opened up about her harrowing experience of getting diagnosed with Crohn's disease, which leads to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss.
“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," Brown revealed earlier in the season during an interview with Andscape.
LA Sparks have rallied behind Brown during her challenging battle with Crohn's disease. The franchise handed the 29-year-old two-year contract extension before the 2024 season even though she missed the bulk of last year.
There's no timeline as to when Brown could return to the basketball court. The LA Sparks haven't specified the type of "illness" due to which Brown has been ruled out of Saturday's clash against the Liberty.
