Things escalated quickly in last night’s LA Sparks vs. Phoenix game leading to unfortunate ejections. What was supposed to be a celebratory night for the Sparks’ fans on the team’s final home game suddenly turned into a heated scuffle between rookie Rickea Jackson and vet Brittney Griner, in the final seconds of the first half. The incident seems to have left the Sparks rookie unshaken, or rather stronger.

A few hours after the game, Rickea Jackson shared a post on X, stunning in a blue mini denim skirt and a brown cropped leather jacket to go with it. “League of my own,” she captioned, summoning in a concerned Sheryl Swoopes. A concern directed towards the opponents Jackson would face. “Don’t hurt ’em!” she wrote in the comments.

Impressed by the rookie’s performance previously, Swoopes had suggested Jackson was going to be one force to watch out for in the league. “Helluva game today young lady! It was truly a pleasure to watch you play in person. So excited for what the future holds for you. You are going to be a problem in this league,” she had tweeted after a game.

The LA Sparks star had put up 6 3-pointers and gathered a career-high 25 points then. The Houston star also had had a declaration during the game — ” the real deal!”

Though not a good year for the LA Sparks, Jackson did her part in ensuring to make the best of her rookie. With a 13.2-point average, she is the second leading scorer for the team and makes the top 4 for blocks and rebounds. She was impressing in the game yet again last night, when she got in a row with the Pheonix centre; a reminder that the rookie isn’t here to backdown as Swoopes hints.

Rickea Jackson and Brittney Griner having it out on the court

With barely 20 seconds remaining in the first half of the game, Griner and Jackson engaged in a heated conversation just after a free throw box out. With everyone being laid back about it, the conversation suddenly escalated in front of the Phoenix bench.

Just then, security rushed onto the court along with Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts to help separate the players. They were eventually declared ejected after they exchanged shoves and were given two technical fouls. Along with this scuffle occurred a confrontation between Sophie Cunningham and Crystal Dangerfield, for which the two were handed technical fouls each.

Other than that, the situation was contained as the Phoenix coaching staff successfully kept the bench players from getting involved in the incident. Now, looking at things from then on, it would merely hurt the Mercury having just one game remaining in the regular season.

However, the thing that is raising concerns is Griner’s availability in future games. She had entered the game with four technical fouls throughout the season. Adding to that, the league can ask for greater discipline over the instance. Not to forget, Griner was previously suspended for three games for a potential brawl in 2019.