Every Los Angeles Sparks fan would naturally expect changes after a disappointing 12th-place finish and a 16-28 record. And the Sparks have been making them, even before the season ended. They parted ways with former general manager Raegan Pebley mid-season, hired Ariana Andonian as their new GM, and fired head coach Lynne Roberts the day after the regular season ended.

Those decisions earned the approval of plenty of Sparks fans. But their most recent move, which Hunter Cruse himself shared on X, did not earn approval.

“I’m excited to announce that I’ve accepted a front office position with the Los Angeles Sparks,” Cruse wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has supported my work over the years. Really grateful & pumped for this opportunity!”

As it appears, the Los Angeles Sparks have brought in Hunter Cruse, a WNBA analyst, scout, and writer, to a role in the franchise’s front office. And judging by the reaction to his post, a large share of fans were not pleased with the unexpected hire. 

“The Sparks are officially the most unserious organization on the W,” one fan wrote. Another, widening the criticism to the league as a whole, wrote, “The Sparks front office hired whom ?!? This league is so f***ing unserious.”

Some fans took a more sarcastic tone, suggesting the hire proved that any random person could land a job in a WNBA front office, particularly those who claimed to have traded barbs with Cruse on social media. 

“Sparks hired a ** who I’ve argued with on Twitter sjsjsjsjs wbb stan twitter we up bro. Anybody can get a W job,” one fan said. Another fan, also taking a jab at his social media activity, wrote, “This is awesome for Hunter, I have a goal to join a WNBA front office myself one day. Also true: deleting over 11,000 tweets before posting this is hilarious,” claiming Cruse must have cleared his account ahead of the announcement.

Over the last four years, Cruse has built a reputation as a well-regarded women’s basketball analyst, known for his extensive WNBA coverage, prospect scouting, and film analysis. He has worked as a WNBA writer for Bleacher Report and a WNBA Draft analyst for The IX Sports, and he has also produced visual scouting reports on his personal YouTube channel.

While Cruse confirmed on social media that he has formally accepted a front office position, his exact title has not been made public. But given his background, the expectation is that the role will probably lean heavily toward talent evaluation, scouting, and basketball operations.

Regardless, this is a hire many Los Angeles Sparks fans do not agree with. At the end of the day, only results on the court next season will be able to prove them wrong.

However, the puzzle of the Sparks’ rebuild remains incomplete, as the franchise is still searching for a new head coach. Hopefully, the Front office’s eventual choice of Lynne Robert‘s replacement will be satisfactory.