{"id":586587,"date":"2026-04-15T22:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/586587\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T22:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:50:10","slug":"nneka-ogwumike-headed-back-to-la-sparks-after-seattle-storm-run-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/586587\/","title":{"rendered":"Nneka Ogwumike Headed Back to LA Sparks After Seattle Storm Run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nneka Ogwumike is headed back to familiar territory. The 10-time All-Star and former league WNBA<\/a> MVP is returning to the Los Angeles Sparks after spending the past two seasons with the Seattle Storm.<\/p>\n

According to ESPN,<\/a> the news was first shared by her sister, Chiney Ogwumike, who wrote on social media that Nneka is \u201clooking forward to returning home.\u201d Ogwumike spent the first 12 seasons of her career in Los Angeles after the Sparks selected her with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft.<\/p>\n

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Ogwumike leaves Seattle after two productive seasons in which she remained one of the league\u2019s most consistent frontcourt players. In 2025, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while helping the Storm reach the playoffs. Seattle finished seventh in the standings before being eliminated in the opening round by the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

During her first run in Los Angeles, Ogwumike earned 10 All-Star selections, eight All-WNBA nods, and seven All-Defensive Team honors. She was named WNBA MVP in 2016 and led the Sparks to the franchise\u2019s third championship that same season.<\/p>\n

She also hit the game-winning basket in Game 5 of the Finals against the Minnesota Lynx, one of the most memorable moments in franchise history.<\/p>\n

Before becoming a WNBA star, Ogwumike dominated at Stanford University, where she helped the Cardinal reach four consecutive Final Fours. She left Stanford as the program\u2019s second-leading scorer and was drafted first overall in 2012. Her name, \u201cNneka,\u201d means \u201cMother is Supreme\u201d in Igbo.<\/p>\n

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Ogwumike\u2019s impact has extended well beyond the court. Since 2016, she has served as president of the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association and recently helped negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the league.<\/p>\n

After two years away, she is returning to the team where it all started \u2014 and to the city where she made WNBA history.<\/p>\n

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