Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - Chamique Holdsclaw retired from the Los Angeles Sparks suddenly and silently on Monday, handing her team and the WNBA a significant setback.

Holdsclaw, 29, offered little by way of explanation and leaves a major hole in her former team's lineup. Holdsclaw, a six-time All-Star, was averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists before her sudden departure.

While L.A. started the season 3-2 in its first five games, it also lost center Lisa Leslie, another standout front-court player, to pregnancy.

"This was not an easy decision," Holdsclaw said in a statement released by her team. "I put a lot of thought into it. I am very grateful for the career I have enjoyed in amateur and professional basketball and will take many fond memories with me. What I will miss most are my teammates and the great friendships I have developed through the years and the fans from arena to arena that have supported me."

Speculation is surfacing that Holdsclaw simply wasn't enjoying playing the sport anymore. Perhaps she is also still struggling with the 2004 death of her grandmother, which sent her reeling into a difficult period of depression at the time.

Whatever the case, it isn't the first-time Holdsclaw has been tight-lipped about her plans. It is also not the first time she has retired from the WNBA, leaving her first team, the Washington Mystics in 2004.

"I have a lot of other interests, things I can be as good at as I am in basketball," she told AP in July 2005, declining to elaborate. "I like to keep things to myself."

Holdsclaw played seven strong seasons in Washington, though the team advanced to just one playoff berth. Holdsclaw went on to play in Spain before signing with the Sparks prior to the 2006 season, saying Southern California was appealing to her.

Holdsclaw piled up huge statistics while playing for Pat Summitt at the University of Tennessee's Lady Vols, where she helped the team to three consecutive NCAA Championships. She was Tennessee's all-time leading scorer and rebounder (male or female) with 3,025 points and 1,295 rebounds.

Holdsclaw was a prolific scorer, as just the fifth women's basketball player in NCAA history to reach 3,000 points. She may not be filling up the nets anytime or anywhere soon, however.

Michael Cooper, former L.A. Lakers guard and current Sparks coach, was stunned and disappointed by Holdsclaw's retirement.

"We will miss Chamique in many ways," Cooper told wnba.com. "It won't be easy, but we will go on without her."