Los Angeles Sparks Sign Tierra Ruffin-Pratt
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 13, 2019) – Sparks Executive Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler announced today the signing of guard/forward Tierra Ruffin-Pratt. She comes to Los Angeles after playing six seasons for the Washington Mystics.
“I’m thrilled to have Tierra Ruffin-Pratt join the Sparks family,” Toler said. “Tierra has a track record of being a hard worker and a physical defender who will sacrifice her own stats to make her team better. She brings a lot of experience coming off a finals appearance and will immediately add value on both ends of the floor.”
During her tenure with the Mystics, Ruffin-Pratt appeared in 22 playoff games, including the 2018 WNBA Finals. In her six WNBA seasons she’s started 112 times and played in 199 regular season games. The defensive stalwart has career averages of 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
“I am excited to start my new journey with the Los Angeles Sparks,” Ruffin-Pratt said. “After talking with Penny Toler, a few of the players and discussing with my family, I felt it would be the best fit for my career. I can’t wait to play with and learn from some of the best players in the league on both the offensive and defensive end. It’s going to be a really fun summer!”
Ruffin-Pratt is currently playing in Israel for Maccabi Ramat Hen where she’s averaging 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She’s also played overseas in Hungary and Turkey. Ruffin-Pratt played collegiately at the University of North Carolina and went undrafted in 2013.
ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES SPARKS
The Sparks 2019 home opener is on May 31 against the Connecticut Sun. To purchase tickets, visit http://sparks.wnba.com/tickets/. Founded in 1996, the Los Angeles Sparks play in the Western Conference of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sparks have won three WNBA Championships (2001, 2002, 2016), have qualified for the playoffs in 18 of their 22 seasons and remain the only active team in the league to win back-to-back titles. The Los Angeles Sparks are dedicated to ensuring each home game at Staples Center has a championship level entertainment experience, while showcasing the best female athletes from around the world on the court.
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