July 28, 2026, 7:46 a.m. ET
Nneka Ogwumike could be discovered within the coaching room nearly as typically as she is on the court docket. Whether it’s pilates — traditional pilates, particularly — getting within the water, the hyperbaric chamber or purple mild remedy, amongst different issues, there are few issues the 36-year-old Los Angeles Sparks star is extra meticulous about than her restoration routine.
“You have all these different tools,” Ogwumike instructed USA TODAY Sports. “I’m always somebody who loves tapping into new technology, and then it also doesn’t hurt to have a phenomenal H&P staff, so they help me really get ready for whatever’s next.”
But what can actually be thought of “next” for Ogwumike at this level? In the final two weeks alone, she’s set the Sparks’ all-time scoring record, obtained named to her eleventh profession WNBA All-Star Game — tying Diana Taurasi for second-most nods in league historical past — and proceeded to drop 11 factors to surpass Maya Moore because the all-time main All-Star scorer.
As USA TODAY Sports put it on Sunday, she’s collecting accolades like infinity stones.
How Nneka Ogwumike grew to become a record-breaking participant
“I’ve run out of superlatives for Nneka, and we’re only halfway through the season. She’s unbelievable,” Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts mentioned. “And I knew that record was within sight. I feel like after every game, there’s something that she’s broken record-wise, whether it’s in the league or for the organization. And I’m honored and happy to be a part of her journey through this league and her legacy, it’s an honor to coach her. She’s one of one.”
To play any sport professionally for 14 seasons you’re already in uncommon, elite firm, not to mention within the W the place the typical size of a profession is 3.5 years. Ogwumike’s been capable of not simply keep in one of the crucial aggressive leagues there’s, however she’s put collectively one of the crucial spectacular resumes the sport has ever seen: 11-time All-Star, eight-time All-WNBA, seven-time All-Defensive, an MVP and championship in 2016. In 2021, she was named as one of many W’s 25 greatest players of all-time.
Ogwumike attributes that unmatched longevity to the help system she’s had all through her total profession.
Nneka Ogwumike entered the WNBA able to be taught
Drafted by the Sparks out of Stanford with the primary total decide in 2012, Ogwumike was put onto a crew that featured seasoned professionals like Candace Parker, Kristi Toliver, Alana Beard, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Ebony Hoffman. She was instantly in a state of affairs the place she had no scarcity of vets to look as much as, and made probably the most of that.
“They just really showed me what it means to be a pro,” Ogwumike mentioned. “And to have longevity, you have to take your recovery seriously, and they loved what they did. They loved the preparation of it all.”
Ogwumike studied her teammates’ habits, first by watching, then by becoming a member of in. She started doing the identical drills they did, consuming the identical meals, getting the identical remedies after follow.
“I guess it just kind of stuck with me,” she mentioned.
The outcomes didn’t take lengthy to indicate as Ogwumike averaged 14 factors per recreation in 2012, third-most on the crew behind solely Parker and Toliver. She additionally completed that rookie marketing campaign second in rebounds (7.5) and blocks (0.9), and third in steals (1.4) and was named Rookie of the Year.
Four years later, Ogwumike helped lead the Sparks to their first WNBA championship since 2002 because the league’s MVP.
Nneka Ogwumike is a vivid spot for the struggling Sparks
Ten years later, the Sparks are in a a lot completely different place as a corporation, however Ogwumike’s still an distinctive participant. After a two-year stint in Seattle, she returned to the crew that drafted her this offseason on a one-year deal. The imaginative and prescient was to plug in Ogwumike alongside Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink to convey LA again to its former glory however midway through the season, that hope has began to fizzle.
The Sparks have struggled through accidents and inconsistent play to a 10-16 document on the All-Star break and sit in sixth place within the Western Conference. Ogwumike, nevertheless, has been a vivid spot, main the crew in Plum’s prolonged absence with 17.1 factors per night time. In the ultimate 5 video games earlier than the All-Star break, she put up double-doubles in 4 of them.
But possibly probably the most spectacular a part of Ogwumike’s longevity isn’t the numbers or the years, however the truth that she’s stayed a constant power within the W amid its vastly changing panorama.
“We have more games, we have more teams, we have more fans,” Ogwumike instructed USA TODAY Sports. “We have a lot of these players who are coming in with such a strong fanbase and bridging that gap between the collegiate level and the pro level. And then, there’s a lot more investment.”
How the WNBA has modified since Nneka Ogwumike joined the league
When she was drafted, the typical participant wage was $72,000 with a complete crew wage cap of $878,000. In 2026, Ogwumike makes $950,000 and takes up simply 13% of the cap, according to Spotrac. That contract was doable thanks largely to the historic CBA agreed to between the WNBA and WNBPA after 18 months of tense negotiations.
The W has additionally exploded in recognition; final weekend’s All-Star Game was performed in entrance of a record-breaking viewers of 19,783 on the United Center in Chicago. The league has expanded from 12 to fifteen groups with the additions of the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire with future growth franchises lined up in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia set to start play by 2030.
With that degree of fast growth, additionally comes an expanded schedule. The WNBA performed 34 video games in 2012, Ogwumike’s rookie yr. In 2023, it went as much as 40 video games and is now at 44. The league has already introduced plans for a 50-game schedule in 2027, with the choice to increase the season to 52 video games in 2029.
So, in each doable sense, the W is bigger than it has ever been. And Ogwumike has managed to remain on the high of it all through all that.
“She brings a sense, obviously, of confidence,” Roberts mentioned. “But I think the thing that separates her is her poise and intentionality. Everything she does is with intention and purpose. Everybody takes it down a notch, in terms of anxiety or nerves, when she’s around because whatever we’re going through, she’s been through it.”
The Sparks are going to want each little bit of Ogwumike’s expertise in the event that they wish to have any hope of turning their season round within the second half. Reinforcements are set to reach, with Plum telling reporters at All-Star Weekend that she expects to be again “next week.”
They’ll get their first shot at making a run on Tuesday, July 28 after they host the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena. Ogwumike has already achieved a lot in purple and gold, what’s a historic run to make yet another playoff push to a participant like her?
