Los Angeles Sparks sign veteran center Ann Wauters
From the team:
The Los Angeles Sparks have signed veteran center Ann Wauters, executive vice president and general manager Penny Toler announced today.
Wauters joins Los Angeles for her ninth WNBA season, and second under head coach Brian Agler. Drafted in 2000 by the Cleveland Rockers, Wauters has played with four WNBA teams, most recently with the Seattle Storm in 2012. Through 199 career games she holds career averages of 10.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 26.1 minutes per game while shooting 54% from the field (91-202) and 76% from free-throw range.
“It’s great that Ann will be joining the Sparks,” said Sparks head coach Brian Agler. “Ann is a very experienced international and WNBA player. She is extremely versatile skill wise and an extremely smart player, but most of all a great person and tremendous teammate. Ann will play a significant role on our team.”
In 2008 she helped San Antonio reach the WNBA Finals, posting career highs of 14.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.8 assists in 32 games (31 starts) played. In 2015 she was named to the WNBA All-Star team, averaging 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 28 games played (all starts) with the New York Liberty.
The 6’4 center recently joined newly signed Sparks guard Jelena Dubljevic in Turkey where she is averaging 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in three EuroLeague games with Galatasaray. She spent the first half of the 2015-16 season with Royal Castors Braine in the Belgian Women’s Basketball League, averaging 11.6 points 6.0 rebounds in 14 EuroLeague contests. The Belgian native is a four-time European Player of the Year, three-time EuroLeague Final Four MVP and was named the 2001 MVP in France.
The Sparks historic 20th season will tip-off May 15.
