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With her career winding down, Ogwumike is planting seeds for the next generation to blossom. When training camp began, she emphasized to the Storm’s new rookies—including French sensation Dominique Malonga, who has already rattled the rim at practice—that where they got picked in the draft doesn’t matter. The only number that matters, she believes, is 11 or 12. As in, are you one of the 11 or 12 players who actually made the roster? Beyond that, Ogwumike wants to make sure that her influence, and the game at large, extends to players outside the traditional American college system. She and Chiney—who have done extensive work with UNICEF to create basketball teams, provide scholarships, and give millions of girls in Nigeria access to top-level education—want to see the WNBA as populated with African players as the NBA. The Ogwumike sisters are just the second siblings in history to both be taken with the first overall pick in an American professional sports draft (alongside Peyton and Eli Manning), and they hope that putting the ball in the bucket is not the only thing they’re remembered for.
“Just showing that it’s an option as a pastime really, or even as a passion, and making sure that young girls have the same opportunity that young boys do in Africa,” Ogwumike said of her overseas efforts. “That’s something that my sister and I are very passionate about.”
The Storm begin their season on Friday with a desert duel against the Phoenix Mercury, a team Ogwumike has played 42 times, tied with the Minnesota Lynx for most in her career. Barring injury, Ogwumike is in line to play her 400th WNBA game on June 1, and whenever she plays her 17th game of the season, she’ll pass her old friend Parker on the all-time games played list. Milestones like that have never mattered much to Ogwumike, who mentioned an intentional desire to remain as present as possible for the duration of her career. Being an approachable and caring teammate, she said, is more important to her than racking up individual accomplishments.
Last year, as Ogwumike led the team in steals, three-point percentage, and player efficiency rating, the Storm enjoyed a strong season but were swept out of the first round of the playoffs. The league still undeniably runs through New York and Las Vegas, but the Storm have a veteran-laden, savvy roster that no team will be excited about playing. One thing should be apparent, though, to everyone who matches up with Nneka Ogwumike in 2025: She’s going to delight in every second of her time in Seattle.
“Seattle was always my favorite place to play away games,” Ogwumike said. “It has its own distinct character from the places that I’ve been in my past. It’s definitely vibing with Nneka.”
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