The many sides of Rae Burrell, who can't be put in a box

LOS ANGELES – It was July 6 of this year before the Los Angeles Sparks’ game against the Seattle Storm at Crypto.Com Arena. I was behind the courtside seats when I saw a familiar face run sideways at midcourt. I decided to mimic the sideways run and meet up with said face as she ran towards the sideline to do what has become somewhat of a pregame ritual.

“Hi, Rey!”

“Hi, Rae!”

It's funny because our names sound the same. Har har.

We have done it so much that people expect us to "say hi" every time we meet. Sparks wing Rae Burrell has a sense of humor and is very much a character on the team and in the league. She doesn’t remember that she was the one that actually started this whole "Hi, Rey/Rae" thing.

“I feel like you just said it and then I just said it back,” Burrell mused when I asked her about it.

One night last year, an injured Burrell actually called out and yelled, “Hi, Rey!” after the game while I was working at media row behind the basket doing the night’s recap. On another occasion, my colleague, Holland Kaplan, and I came out of the media room when a cart went by us. On the back of the cart was Burrell and she yelled out, “Bye, Rey!”

I finally caught our goofy exchange on video at the press conference after Cameron Brink’s first game back from her ACL injury (against the Aces, July 29th of last year). I had wanted to ask Burrell a question and opened with, “Hi, Rae.” Burrell said, “Hi, Rey,” back and she started to giggle as Coach Lynne Roberts realized we had the same-sounding name. The rest of the media room looked on quizzically.

That Rae. Such a funny personality. She’d be the first to tell you, too.

"I've just always been goofy since I was young," Burrell admitted. "It's not something that I really think about. Yeah, I kind of just like to have fun. Like you said, I like to make people laugh and lighten the mood and bring that energy."

Rae Burrell has many sides. But what's prominent on the basketball court is that Burrell has a forever chip on her shoulder. Her parents were both athletes; her father, John, ran track while her mother, Ann, played basketball. She can get fiery and emotional on the court but that just really shows her competitiveness.

“I think I've just always been like that growing up,” Burrell said. “I grew up with a brother and boy cousins so I was always the smaller one. I even always played up when I was playing soccer and when I was playing basketball, I always played grades up. So I always had to be the one that was more aggressive and I had to do that extra work. I think it's just something that you learn as a kid and I honestly think it's just in me as well. It's just something that you kind of have that you can't teach and, by God's grace, I was able to have that. I think it just comes natural.”

Basketball wasn't even her first sport. In fact, Burrell's first sport was soccer and the athlete she was watching then was not in the world of hoops.

"Abby Wambach," Burrell answered when I asked who she watched growing up. "She just was so tough and gritty and she just didn't care. She split her eyebrow, I forgot what game it was. Went to the sideline, got it stapled, and went back out there and played the rest of the game. I think she ended up also even getting a header on top of that same eyebrow. So she was the definition of a dog. And I was in awe of just how tough she was and how gritty and just passionate she was about when she was playing."

But Burrell decided to go with basketball because...

"What made my decision to go from soccer to basketball was basketball offered 100% scholarships and I wanted my school to pay for it."

Easy enough decision. She took the sport more seriously in her junior year of high school. And she admitted that she only knew she would turn pro by her junior year in Tennessee. 

"It was actually probably after the UConn game," Burrell said. "I think I finally got seen by the world a little bit. And, yeah, they started talking about me. And I saw the growth also within myself and in my game. And looking at the people that got drafted before me that I played with, it just inspired me as well that I felt like, okay, maybe I can play as a pro, too."

That seems very late for a professional basketball player.

"It's not like something that I've dreamed of since I was a kid, you know?" Burrell disclosed. "It's kind of something that just happened along the way and then I made it my goal. And then I started to work towards that and everything."

Scouts took notice of the athletic Burrell, who also did high jump in high school "for fun", and she eventually was chosen by the Sparks with the 9th overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft.

"I think I was trying to push myself and see how far I could go, honestly, see how good I could get," Burrell said about her initial goals coming into the league. "And I wanted to see... I kind of wanted to get the base of where I was at from that first year of playing and then kind of go from there. And I obviously didn't get to play my rookie season but then when I came back, I knew that I had a lot of learning to do."

She barely played in her rookie year due to injury. Then she was cut in her second year.

"Just to stay ready," Burrell said about her being cut early in the 2023 season. "I immediately went back home and kept working out. I knew that a team would pick me up. I didn't know if it was going to be L.A. again but I just knew that, at some point, that I was going to get a call. I believed that. And so I just knew that when I did, I needed to be ready. I immediately went back to just working out and just preparing."

Burrell was brought back by the Sparks in a hardship deal. She played well enough to get signed to a standard contract. She has stayed in L.A. since and as her confidence grew, so did her role.

Still, Burrell knew she had a lot to learn about the game.

"I knew immediately going into the league that my IQ wasn't all the way at where I wanted it to be just because, obviously, I started basketball so late," Burrell offered. "So I was always just using my athleticism. I learned a little bit more about the game itself in college.

"But then when I got to pros, I realized how it was even more," Burrell continued. "So I think at that point then I was just wanting... my goal was just to learn the game more and learn how to read and pace myself. And then I just want to just keep pushing myself to see how good I can get.

"I just feel like the sky's the limit with me."

While having that motivation is great, the work still has to be put in. That grind and that faith in herself made her a first/second option on the Sparks this season.

"I think that's a belief that you've got to have in yourself," Burrell said in an early August interview about being a first option. "I knew (being the first option) wasn't (there) at that moment (early in my career) but I knew that if I put the work in and put that time in, that I would eventually be able to get to that, and I believed in that. I think that's kind of all you need, honestly, is just work ethic and belief."

Burrell talked about working on all her skills throughout the season. She admits she's the type that would have to get kicked out of a gym.

"I try to be smart during the season but yeah, during the offseason," Burrell said about putting the work in the gym. "But at the same time, like I said, I try to be smart, take care of my body, making sure that I'm recovering the right way. It's a balance because I want to have longevity in this league. So to have that, your body needs to be good. It's a balance of pushing yourself while taking care of yourself."

Burrell was chosen to play in Unrivaled, a 3x3 winter league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart designed to keep WNBA players domestically during the offseason. She averaged 8.4 points and 2.7 rebounds her first season, which took place in early 2025, and was dubbed by many as the player to watch in the upcoming WNBA season.

"Which is funny," Burrell said about being chosen in Unrivaled and mentioned as the player to watch. "When I got announced for that team the first year, I got so much hate. And there were so many comments of, 'I thought we were picking the best of the best in this league.' And it was just all these negative comments of people that didn't think I deserved to be in that league. So it just really is special to me to be able to show, like, motherfucker, I deserve to be here. And I've been deserved to be there as soon as I got the call for it. I'm also just kind of proving those people wrong as well. Alongside of me just doing it for myself, it's also nice to show this is what I'm capable of."

Burrell improved on those numbers in her second year in Unrivaled with averages of 12.6 points and 4.2 rebounds. Once again, she was mentioned by many as the player to look out for in the 2026 WNBA season. The league was bringing the best out of her.

"I think it's built for players like me that are versatile," Burrell admitted. "It's so fast. And you kind of got to play multiple different positions. I think that is just the perfect situation for me because that's kind of what I do. I'm able to move well. I'm able to use my athleticism and get up and down the court, bring the ball up, work on my post moves; it's also a league that prepares you to work on things that you need to work on coming into the W. That's what I did this past season. It's like you're not only working on this stuff but you're working on it against the best of the best. And iron sharpens iron."

She finished the regular season with three straight 20-point games, including a 30-piece against the Lunar Owls. It was the first time she was looked at as a first option since turning pro.

"I feel like in the beginning of the (Unrivaled) season, it wasn't," Burrell said about being that first option. "And then, kind of same as this (WNBA) season, you know? I just feel like I'm just constantly having to prove myself a little bit. And there's nothing more you can do than just show that you're capable of doing it."

Burrell is that type to score in bunches now. She could be cold and then suddenly, she would rattle off 10 or 12 points just like that. Proof was that August 28th game when she scored 12 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter in the Sparks' win over the Mystics.

The potential to be one of the top players in the league? Burrell has that confidence now.

"I know I put the work in for it," Burrell said. "You can say that and not be in the gym and not be putting that extra work in but I know for myself that because of that extra work that I put in. Because of the determination that I have. Because of the perseverance of every single situation that I've been through, just being able to play my game and I think as I just keep elevating my game... definitely, I think I could be one of the top players in this league."

Roberts has been a big believer in Burrell since she got hired as coach in Los Angeles before the 2025 season. 

"I think she's gotten the consistent opportunities, right? Especially when (Kelsey Plum) went out (and eventually traded), she became our kind of go-to in terms of attacking on the perimeter," Roberts said before their game against the Fire on Sunday. "And she's really, really good at that. I think with Rae, what I have tried to do is let her be herself, let Rae be Rae."

Let Rae be Rae. Letting people be themselves. Quite a concept, right?

"She is who she is and I love her for who she is. She's silly, she's goofy when she's in a room, you know," Roberts continued. "But rather than try to squelch that, just really appreciate her for who she is. And now our job is to continue to develop her. She's still young in terms of how to pick and choose when you're going to attack in a game, how to pick and choose when you're going to do things. The game has started to slow down for her a little bit, which is a sign of improvement. So yeah, I'm really pleased with her and I think she just continues to get better and better."

Burrell nearly doubled her scoring average (14.5 points per game as of this writing) from the previous year (7.5 PPG last season). She's one of the most improved players in the league but she felt she wasn't being talked about enough concerning the MIP (Most Improved Player) award.

"When you look at every other person that's in these conversations, I didn't even have the same role and same position on their team that I have on this team coming into the season," Burrell opined. "I wasn't a main option. I was not the first, second option. I was coming off the bench (early in the season). I think just taking that, I think that should be part of the conversation, too, of she really got it out of this role position and wasn't brought to this team to be the player that I'm becoming and I really clawed my way and really worked my ass off to do that.

"And I think that is kind of what I would want to be talked about more than... yeah, Most Improved, of course, but just to be in the position that I am in and still be in those conversations, I think, is what I'm most proud of because it's not an easy situation and I feel like you don't see that a lot."

She even pointed out her efficiency on the court.

"I feel like the numbers also speak for itself, too," Burrell continued. "I'm shooting efficiently, too. It's not like I'm scoring these points and shooting 20%. (Her splits are at 46 percent from the field, 37 percent from three, and 81 percent from the line.) I think that's another conversation that needs to be talked about is I'm doing this shit efficiently, too. So it's not like I'm just a volume-ass shooter that's doing this stuff.

"We talk about improving on the assists and the playmaking (doubled from 1.2 assists last year to 2.5 this season). I'm showing all these different parts of my game, defense, steals. I think people are just missing a whole conversation. I don't think they really see, in retrospect, this situation."

Her teammates have sure noticed the growth of her game over time.

"I've seen her spurt. I played with her in Unrivaled," Sparks teammate Erica Wheeler said. "So what she's been able to show now, she was doing in Unrivaled, and I've seen that. But I still tell her all the time, you still got room to grow even more. Her cylinder has no cap on it. I think if she just keeps working, fix that damn attitude in some moments, she'll be fine. But more so, she's just getting started, man. She's got so much more on her tank that the world hasn't even seen yet, and it's just only going to get better."

"I think she's really stepped into her role, and she's such a phenomenal athlete," Sparks teammate Cameron Brink said. "And just all around the board, just a great player. So we're just super lucky to have her."

As Burrell found herself as a player, she knew she could be more than her role in her early years.

"Going back to when I got selected for the Unrivaled thing, that's them trying to put me in a box," Burrell said. "Them trying to be like, oh, she can't play in this. She can only do X, Y, and Z. Y'all can't tell me what I can do. I get in the gym and I work my ass off to improve my game. So you're not going to put me in a box, especially people that are, no offense, on their asses at the house saying this.

"I've actually had previous coaches try to put me in a box and compare me to role players in the league and stuff," Burrell continued. "And I just knew I was always bigger than that, you know? So, yeah, I don't want to be put in a box."

In my first extended conversation with Burrell in Aug. 2024, I asked her about her fluctuating role. I noticed her rolling her eyes as I asked her that question. I reminded her of that talk.

"It's all part of the process, though. I wouldn't change a thing just because it's made me to be the player that I am," Burrell admitted. "Now that I am in a better position, I appreciate that and know that I can look back and be like, oh, I've been in that position before. It's like a different level of hungry when you've had to basically get it out the mud.

"Nobody was fucking talking about me going into my rookie season," Burrell went on. "Everybody forgot about me after my rookie season because I was hurt. I didn't even play. So coming into my second season, nobody gives a fuck about Rae Burrell, you know? So it's like knowing that and being conscious of that, just playing with that chip on my shoulder. I'm going to prove myself because that's who I'm just proving it to is myself. I'm not doing it for nobody else.

"And then, yeah, I just stay in the course. And I just am able to look back on my journey and be just so appreciative of all the situations that I've been because it's gotten me to this point right now."

Not only has she improved her overall game but she has been bouncing back from getting knocked down her entire career. And she seems to have improved on that aspect, too.

Burrell scored 19 points in 21 shots (0 for 8 from three) in a loss to the Mercury at a game played in the Galen Center at USC on August 11th. I had asked the team to talk to her, thinking it would be funny to give her a bit of a hard time for taking so many shots should they win the game. The Sparks ended up losing so I had to face a glum Burrell after the game. This was not going to be a great talk.

I went on with the interview. On my last question, I asked her about the USC crowd.

"I thought it was a good crowd. I think the fans were really engaged. Yeah, it was a good crowd," Burrell said, clearly sounding down.

I ended the interview right after that and gave her some encouragement.

"Keep your head up, all right?" I said. She thanked me and went on her way.

Two nights later, the Sparks were in Barclays Center to face the Liberty. It was looking like another blowout loss as New York took a 28-point lead in the fourth quarter against Los Angeles.

Then something happened. Burrell caught fire, scoring 11 points in an unbelievable 21-0 run that put the Sparks back in the game. The Sparks would end up falling short, 85-81, but Burrell's performance was indelible. She scored 20 out of her career-high 28 points in the fourth. It's easy to say that this was a coming-out party for Burrell but she's already had so many similar performances this season.

"Yeah, I'm just super proud of her," Sparks teammate Dearica Hamby said. "I know, like, that confidence move she talks about, I've witnessed. And I just appreciate our relationship. I can talk to her and she's receptive, and she knows that anything I'm saying, I have good intention for her, and I want her to succeed."

Another side of Burrell was in display in that contest: resilience. She came back from a not-so-great shooting night with a career game.

"I'm very proud of her. I was here when she joined the team," Sparks legend Nneka Ogwumike said of Burrell in a July postgame presser. "I witnessed some serious adversity that she had to go through. For her to establish herself as, I think, a future All-Star of this league. A future all-defensive player, for sure. Just seeing her maturity each day getting better. Not just on the court but also maturing as a woman in this league."

Veteran guard and teammate Ariel Atkins has seen that evolution.

"I just think her ability to move on to the next thing," Atkins said about how Burrell has evolved from the start of the season. "It might take her a little longer. But it took her a little longer earlier in the year than it does now. And I feel like one of the last games that we had, she felt like she couldn't get anything going. And then all of a sudden, she just exploded. So just being able to do that and know who she is as a player."

After her second season in Unrivaled, Burrell played in Puerto Rico for Team USA during the World Cup qualifiers in March. A lot was suddenly happening in her basketball career but she took them all in stride.

"I was honestly going with the flow," Burrell said during training camp in April. "I wasn't trying to think too much. I think that was the problem in the past, was just the overthinking of everything. I think that I was just letting it flow, trusting in the preparation that I put in, and just letting it go to work on the floor. I feel like I just did a good job of just trusting my preparation."

She knew she's come a long way from her early years with the Sparks. Burrell spoke of her resilience.

"I think that's so important to sit and realize how far you've come," Burrell said. "Like you said, my journey has not been easy at all. I was cut my second year, going from cut to playing for USA. That's the pinnacle of our sport: to play for USA.

"When I was in Puerto Rico, I was at the beach just appreciating how far I've come, the work that I've put in, and just staying the course and being persistent. No matter how many times I was knocked down, just keep getting back up and keep the main thing the main thing."

It's easy to get consumed with work. Burrell would rather get away after a tough practice or game.

"I think it's important to have your own things that you enjoy doing and have that separation to be a person outside of being a basketball player," Burrell disclosed. "So I like to make sure that I'm being my own person outside of what I do on the court. I think that's what makes me really enjoy when I actually am back on the court. Because I took the time away. And then I can fully focus back on what I'm doing when I step in the gym."

What does Burrell do when she's not working?

"I just hang out with friends, shop. I like to eat at restaurants, cute restaurants. I like to travel. I like to be with family. I'm just an on-the-go person. So I'm doing something at all times."

We all know about the fits the players do on before the game. These days, it seems like a prerequisite to look like a runway model when you become a WNBA player. Burrell is a highlight on these tunnel fits.

"I think it's important," Burrell said about the pregame fits. "It's just a way to express yourself through clothes and just like expressing who you are through clothing. And I think that it reflects who I am as a person. Before I even speak, my clothes kind of talk for me and I think that getting dressed before the games gives you that extra confidence to go into the game. You dress good, you feel good, you feel good, you play good."

Is there a vibe she's trying to give off?

"Yeah, it just depends on the day. I know that I'm always trying to wear something different, something that stands out. Whatever it is that I pick, I just want it to stand out."

While she got a lot of detractors about being in Unrivaled, Burrell has always had love for the fans she has in Los Angeles.

"I think that the L.A. fans have always been great since Day One, honestly," Burrell said. "I think they've always advocated for me and always cheered me on, cheered the team on. I think they're awesome. I can't say enough about the L.A. fans."

And she has a few more words for them.

"Just I appreciate them. Like I said, the real ones that have been there since Day One, I really appreciate it because I've always seen the support. And I'm just super appreciative to have those fans that believed in me from the jump. And then even the new ones that are just finding out about me and supporting me and showing that love. I just really appreciate them."

After a hard-fought win against the Mystics on August 28th, Burrell talked about what she wanted to show that game.

"I think I'm able to just continue to show my playmaking ability," Burrell said. "I think that's an area of my game that I'm just going to continue to keep trying to work on and show. And, yeah, that's just part of making the right reads. So I'm just trying to make the right reads, too."

That basketball side of Burrell never stopped working. But her smile beamed after the postgame interview as she bid goodbye to us local media.

"Bye, Rae," I said, as we wrapped up our night.

"Bye, Rey," Burrell said as she left the confines of the arena in the only WNBA city she's ever played for.