Ogwumike's shot lifts Sparks on 'emotional' night
Key takeaways
- On a night when the WNBA was celebrating a rematch of the league's first game, Nneka Ogwumike provided a fantastic finish.
- Ogwumike was drafted No. 1 by the Sparks in 2012 and was the season MVP in 2016 when Los Angeles won its third WNBA title.
- "It's emotional seeing all these legends in the building," Ogwumike told ESPN after the game as she wiped away tears.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
On a night when the WNBA was celebrating a rematch of the league's first game, Nneka Ogwumike provided a fantastic finish. The Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty 98-97 on Ogwumike's 3-pointer with less than a second left, sending the capacity crowd of 18,043 into a cheering frenzy at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Ogwumike was drafted No. 1 by the Sparks in 2012 and was the season MVP in 2016 when Los Angeles won its third WNBA title. She left Los Angeles to play the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Seattle Storm but returned to the Sparks this year. Ogwumike also is the longtime players' association president and has been key in the negotiations for the past two WNBA collective bargaining agreements, in 2020 and earlier this year.
"It's emotional seeing all these legends in the building," Ogwumike told ESPN after the game as she wiped away tears. "People that didn't get paid their value, and they're still coming here and supporting us. I'm so grateful."