On Thursday night, Nneka Ogwumike said goodbye to the WNBA, but she had the energy of a player with lots more years to play. She scored 6 of Los Angeles’ first 8 points, attacking the rim with the aggression of someone leaving it all on the floor. By halftime, she had 12 points and was flirting with a double-double. A few times, teammates came in for rebounds and visibly recoiled when they realized they may be getting in her way.
Prior to the game, fans were greeted with t-shirts on every seat up to the last row of Crypto.com Arena, with visuals of Ogwumike and the words “The Spark” in large letters across the front. Even before the game, tribute videos and signs framed the game with an aura of gravity and celebration. Her teammates arrived in Ogwumike jerseys, styled in a variety of ways, and Ogwumike’s family was present in the dozens, with shirts that read “Madam President” on the front and “30” on the back to honor Ogwumike’s historic tenure as WNBPA president. Alongside her family were former Stanford coaches Tara VanDerveer and Amy Tucker, as well as members of the Players’ Association staff, and other teammates, including former Spark Layshia Clarendon.
“[Stanford] is a very formative time in my basketball life, and having Tara here and Amy and Kate, and of course a lot of my Stanford sisters, it was really beautiful to see,” Ogwumike said after the game. “I guess [Stanford was] the beginning stages of my leadership and my growth, and really me kind of accepting and understanding the power that I can hold. They’re the ones that really taught me how to step into my worth and step into my value and understand that I’m capable. So I’m really happy that I got to share this moment with them.”
True to form, Ogwumike had written a personal note thanking fans, which was handed to them as they entered the arena, along with an “On Her Terms” sign, a refrain Ogwumike has repeated throughout the season: that she’s exiting the game when she chooses, on her terms, while she’s still performing at an extremely high level, and leaving the game, league and players better than she found it.
The Sparks came out strong, and for a while it looked like a storybook finish, upsetting the second-overall playoff seed in their leader’s final game. Things got physical in the third quarter, when Ogwumike took a hard hit and played on with a bleeding mouth. She celebrated loudly after a bucket that pushed the lead to 65-53 in the Sparks’ favor and brought the courtside seats to their feet, and refused to come out despite a hard hit to the face.
At halftime, LAVI$H, a Nigerian DJ now living in LA, took the mic and told the crowd, “I’m here for one reason, I’m here to celebrate Nneka.” The 2016 WNBA Championship team was honored at halftime, with video messages from Nneka’s former teammates who shared the court with her that MVP season. While a fitting celebration, 10 years later, the moment was clear: it helped to contextualize Ogwumike’s importance to the franchise.
The Sparks led 72-62 with 2:21 left, until Golden State cut it to 2 points with 1:03 remaining. The Valkyries fans — and there were many — exploded, and through the explosive scoring of Kaitlyn Chen, who scored 14 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Gabby Williams, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer to win it, the Valkyries pulled off the comeback, spoiling what could have been a bright spot to conclude Ogwumike’s final season.
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With 10.8 seconds remaining, head coach Lynne Roberts was called for a technical (which she later said she hadn’t realized was on her), arguing that both Ogwumike and Rae Burrell were fouled on shots. Ultimately, Ogwumike missed a free throw that would have cut the deficit to 3, and Burrell hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Had the free throw dropped, that three would have tied it.
Ogwumike finished with 17 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, her 19th double-double of the season. As the final whistle blew, Burrell walked toward her huddling Sparks teammates, head in hands, already in tears as her veteran player was denied a final win.
Cameron Brink, who has repeatedly cited Ogwumike as a huge influence on her through both their shared Stanford experience and time in the WNBA, was immediately overwhelmed with emotion. Erica Wheeler held her hands as Ogwumike’s family took the court.
A postgame ceremony followed, complete with an incredibly emotional video from her sister and former teammate, Chiney Ogwumike. Chiney spoke to Nneka’s influence not only as a teammate and leader, but as a sister, in a monologue accompanied by childhood, college, and professional footage of her sister’s on-court prowess, as Nneka’s immediate family stood center court.
Recognition from other former teammates followed: Candace Parker (who assured Ogwumike that “retirement is great”) and Essence Carson, and in what was one of the most poignant moments of the evening, Sparks president Stacy Johns surprised Ogwumike with the announcement that the player sanctuary in the team’s new facility will carry her name: the Nneka Ogwumike Players’ Sanctuary. Ogwumike, who had held it together through most of the tribute and even the final whistle, was overcome with emotion.
The Sparks’ all-time leading scorer then gave a speech to fans that ran more than eight minutes and, in classic Nneka fashion, started it by taking the blame for the loss via her missed free throw.
Ogwumike’s impact goes so far beyond her time on the court, most notably in the recent collective bargaining agreement, but also in the impact she’s had on her teammates over the past 15 years. As an athlete who has prioritized her health, spoken about recovery, mental health, and preached “grace through grind,” the Sanctuary highlight is appropriate. Every player who walks into the Sparks’ new facility will be paid under a contract she helped negotiate, fly on charters she helped win, and play in a league she helped grow. She spent a decade in conference rooms so the players after her could have better ones. Now, when they need a minute to themselves, they’ll take it in a room with her name on the door.
While her hard work as WNBPA president has come to a close, Ogwumike will remain president until December 31. No predecessor has been decided, but she jokingly noted to reporters Thursday that whoever comes next may have a slightly easier path than she did, as the CBA terms have all been decided for the time being.
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When asked about her favorite memories as a professional basketball player by reporters after the final whistle, Ogwumike immediately mentioned her teammates.
“What really impacted me, it’s certainly the relationships that I’ve been able to build,” she explained. “Especially being the president and having that role, and how I’ve been able to engage with players on a different level. For me, that was probably the most surprising aspect of having that role.
“And then, especially in this last CBA, like I really, I really found some true sisters in these last few negotiations, but I’m going to keep reflecting and thinking about all the different memories that I can carry on after this.”
She noted that she hopes her approachability, accessibility, and relatability are remembered as what set her apart. She said that the connections she’s made “inspire her,” and she hopes to remain a resource for them for many years to come.
The league, and especially the Sparks, will look very different without Nneka on the court in 2027 and beyond, but her presence, both active and passive, will remain.
