At 13 years old, Sarah Ashlee Barker came close to losing her dream of becoming a WNBA player before it began.
Barker was an eighth-grader when she was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans, a condition that disrupts blood flow to a bone beneath joint cartilage, causing pain and limiting mobility.
The condition in her left knee required surgery at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala. Doctors gave her a recovery timeline of nearly a year; but two months later, she received news that the procedure had been unsuccessful.
To keep her basketball dreams alive, she would need a more invasive surgery, one that would last more than four hours.
“He [Dr. Jeffrey Dugas] told me, ‘Hey, this surgery may not work,’” Barker said. “You need to … be prepared that you may not be able to jump as well, cut as well and be as fast as you used to.”
On Monday, Barker became the first of three draft picks in the new chapter of Sparks basketball under coach Lynne Roberts. A standout wing at Alabama, she was selected ninth overall after establishing herself as one of the Southeastern Conference’s best players.
“Thankfully, the surgery did end up working,” Barker said. “But I did have those what-ifs in the back of my mind. … I’m just so grateful for one more game or practice. … I almost had it taken away from me.”
A two-time All-SEC first team selection, Barker is coming off a season that saw her stock rise with a stat line of 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. However, it wasn’t until March Madness that she became a national sensation. Her performance for the Crimson Tide, which helped them reach the tournament’s second round, included a program-record 45 points in a tough loss.
She did everything she could to make herself an appealing prospect, but heading to L.A. wasn’t a guarantee.
Most believed Barker could land anywhere from No. 7 to No. 15, given the depth of wings and guards projected in that range — a projection that matched what she was hearing from teams. Her draft night could have gone in several directions, but she made it clear in interviews her willingness to “do the little things and be OK with that” — a final pitch that worked in her favor.
This mindset is what led Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley and Roberts to make Barker their primary target. She was the player they wanted, something Barker could feel during their pre-draft conversations.
“When I met with them, something just felt right in my heart,” Barker said. “I told my mom, I was like, ‘Something just feels different with L.A., something just feels right.’
“[It was] refreshing that, as much as I wanted to go and play for L.A., they wanted me as well,” she said.
Not only did Sparks want Barker to round out their revamped roster, but they also needed her to fill a void in their rotation. So much so that they may have selected the fiery, aggressive playmaker — capable of defending and scoring — earlier than anticipated.
Roberts’ conversations with Barker about her role in the new “positionless” scheme were open and direct, setting clear expectations for the 23-year-old.
The focus is on playing fast, with Barker contributing defensively — a strength she takes pride in — and in rebounding. Roberts also expects Barker to confidently take ownership of her scoring when the opportunity arises, whether from the perimeter or driving to the basket.
“We hit it off right away,” Barker said of her early conversations with Roberts. “It just felt safe. … She felt very safe to talk to, someone that I can definitely confide in.”
Beyond her new coach, Barker has already begun receiving guidance from her new teammates.
Dearica Hamby, who was in New York for the draft, snapped a photo with Barker minutes after her selection. A few days earlier, Barker had caught up with former SEC rival Rickea Jackson, someone in her position just a year ago. To top it off, Barker received a welcome call from Kelsey Plum, the Sparks’ newest superstar and future backcourt mate.
“She called me yesterday, and she was like, ‘Hey, just come in and be you,’” Barker said. “‘Try to do the little things.’ And then she was like, ‘Just make sure you’re in shape, that’s one of the most important things.’”
Impressed by Plum’s leadership, Barker is excited about the prospect of playing alongside her — someone she admired growing up. To Barker, Plum is “the best of the best,” and she hopes to learn from her and make Plum’s job a bit easier.
The aftermath of her first-round selection has been a whirlwind. Once the draft festivities wrapped up, it was back to business — returning to training as she gears up for the start of camp. Barker will arrive in L.A. on Monday but still hasn’t packed up her college apartment in Tuscaloosa. Friends are lending a hand before she heads home to Birmingham, then off to Los Angeles International Airport.
“I’ve never been,” Barker said, thinking about the prospect of beach life. “I’ve really never been to the West Coast, except for just a game, pretty much for college. … I know we’re close to the beach. I’m a beach girly.”
The move will be a major shift in culture and lifestyle for Barker, who grew up in Hoover — a Birmingham suburb with a population of fewer than 100,000. Alabama is all she’s ever known, aside from a brief stint in Athens, where she first set out to make a name for herself at the University of Georgia.
“That’s where I grew up, that’s where I’m from, and so for me, that’s home,” Barker said. “For me, it means everything to me … forever grateful for all the memories and just being able to grow up in a great basketball community.”
Now, her new home is L.A., donning the same purple and gold uniform that an all-time great in her top five women’s basketball list, Candace Parker, once wore. She’ll take the court at Crypto.com Arena, the house that Kobe Bryant built — a player she reveres, being one of the many young women in basketball carrying on his legacy through the Mamba Mentality.
The Sparks’ second-round pick, former South Carolina Gamecock Sania Feagin, saw Barker’s competitiveness during SEC showdowns.
“To watch her play and go out there and do what she does — just be a dog and have that mentality of staying true to who she is — it’s really great to be her teammate,” Feagin said.
The goal is for Barker to compete for meaningful minutes. The hope is that she will seamlessly fit in with already established All-Stars Hamby and Plum. The dream is that she will join the growing list of young WNBA stars making a mark early in their careers.
None of this journey was guaranteed — everything could have been taken away in an instant. She’s committed to living in the moment, fully appreciating how far she’s come and welcoming the opportunity that lies ahead.
“This year is probably the most I’ve ever been in the present, basketball-wise,” Barker said. “Whatever happens is supposed to happen.”