From WNBA.com

Temeka Johnson has had a tumultuous 2008 campaign, but is ready to help lead the Sparks into the postseason.

The WNBA's Rookie of the Year in 2005, point guard Temeka Johnson was expected to be a major part of the dynamic Los Angeles Sparks offense in 2008. But after missing all but 11 games in the 2007 season due to a serious knee injury and a tweaked ankle, the 5-3 sparkplug was taken away from the Sparks again in 2008, this time to attend to a far more serious matter.

Her grandmother, Jewel Johnson, the woman who raised her throughout her childhood in the New Orleans area, had cancer.

Jewel passed away on July 14, but not before Temeka and many members of her immediate family paid their proper respects. Temeka spoke with WNBA.com's Adam Hirshfield recently about the final days with the woman she called her "inspiration."

Read the Q&A on WNBA.com.