LA Sparks Fire GM Penny Toler After Reported Locker Room Tirade

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles Sparks fired general manager Penny Toler following reports of a post-game tirade in which Toler used racial epithets.

Toler "was relieved of her duties and will no longer be with the organization, effective immediately", according to a statment released Friday.

Sparks' Managing Partner and Governor Eric Holoman will assume the duties in the interim.

"On behalf of ownership and the entire Sparks organization, I'd like to thank Penny Toler for a successful and historic tenure with the organization," Holoman said. "Penny is a foundational figure in the growth of the WNBA and helped lead our franchise to perennial playoff success and multiple titles. We wish her nothing but the best moving forward."

This season marked Toler's 20th as general manager in which the Sparks made the playoffs 18 times and won WNBA titles in 2001, 2002 and 2016.

Toler was a founding member of the WNBA and played for the Sparks from 1997-1999, scoring the first basket in WNBA history.

Her firing comes a day after ESPN reported that the Sparks general manager went into the locker room after the 26-point loss on Sept. 19 and used the offensive language. In the story, Toler didn't dispute using the language, but said she didn't direct it at players.

Los Angeles finished the season with the third-best record in the league but ended up being swept in the best-of-five series, where star Candace Parker - who missed extended time due to injuries - only played 11 minutes in the elimination game.

Coach Derek Fisher benched his entire starting five for the entire fourth quarter with his team down double digits. It was Fisher's first year as a coach in the WNBA.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)