Nneka Ogwumike
Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike // (/ˈnɛkə oʊˈɡwuːmɪkeɪ/; born July 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA draft. Soon after being drafted, Ogwumike signed an endorsement deal with Nike.[1] She is the older sister of Chiney Ogwumike, who most recently played for the Sparks. Ogwumike was named WNBA MVP for the 2016 WNBA season and won the WNBA Finals the same year[2] She was named to The W25 the league's list of the top 25 players of its first 25 years, in 2021.[3]
No. 3 – Seattle Storm
July 2, 1990
Tomball, Texas, U.S.
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
Stanford (2008–2012)
2012: 1st round, 1st overall pick
2012–present
She has also played for Dynamo Kursk of Russia[4][5] Her name "Nneka" means "Mother is Supreme" in the Igbo language of Nigeria - where her family hails from.[6] She is 6'2" and plays power forward. She attended Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas and led them to a 5A State Championship in her senior season.[7] While at Stanford University she helped the Cardinal reach the Final Four four times. Ogwumike was elected President of the WNBA Players Association in 2016[8] and was re-elected to a new three-year term in 2019.[9]
High school[edit]
Ogwumike was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2008 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored 17 points, grabbed 6 rebounds,[10] and earned MVP honors for the White team.[11] She averaged 16.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game during the 2007–08 season at Cy-Fair High School.
USA Basketball[edit]
Ogwumike was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event was held in July 2008, when the USA team defeated host Argentina to win the championship.[17] Ogwumike helped the team win all five games, starting all five games and leading all scorers with 12.6 points per game. She was also the leading rebounder with 8 per game. Ogwumike recorded 15 rebounds in the final game against Argentina, an U18 record.[18]
Ogwumike continued on to the USA Women's U19 team which represented the US in the 2009 U19 World's Championship, held in Bangkok, Thailand in July and August 2009.[19] Although the USA team lost the opening game to Spain, they went on to win their next seven games to earn a rematch against Spain in the finals, and won the game 81–71 to earn the gold medal. Ogwumike started all nine games and was the team's leading scorer, with 13.6 points per game. She was the leading rebounder with almost ten per game, and was named to the all-tournament team.[20]
Ogwumike played on the team presenting the US at the 2011 World University Games held in Shenzhen, China, along with her sister, Chiney Ogwumike . The team, coached by Bill Fennelly, won all six games to earn the gold medal. Ogwumike averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, both second place on the team behind Elena Delle Donne.[21]
Ogwumike had also played for Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women, helping Team USA beat Spain 77–64 in the gold medal game.
Overseas career[edit]
In the 2012–13 off-season, Ogwumike played in Poland for CCC Polkowice and won a championship with the team[45] Since 2014, Ogwumike has played three off-seasons in Russia for Dynamo Kursk.[46] The club won the 2017 Euroleague. In late 2017, Ogwumike returned to Dynamo Kursk for the 2017–18 WNBA off-season.