Nneka Ogwumike is still shocked that she’s not in Tokyo right now.

Whether it be competing for the United States or Nigeria, the former WNBA MVP asserts that she “never thought I’d be in this position.”

After USA Basketball controversially passed her over in picking their Olympic roster, Ogwumike largely remained silent but nonetheless pushed forward. She petitioned to play for Nigeria, only to be denied by FIBA and the CAS.

“I haven’t been public at all with my thoughts,” she told ESPN. “I’m not going to lie, it’s been an emotional month — a lot of crying, a lot of just wanting to be alone. But in the midst of all that, it’s amazing to see how many people support me.”

As one of eight core players for USA Basketball in 2019-20, Ogwumike led the team in scoring and was the MVP of the FIBA women’s qualifying tournament. It seemed as though she was a lock for the Olympic team.

But then she suffered a minor knee injury in a game on June 1. At that time, she was reassured by women’s national team director Carol Callan that both her and Diana Taurasi — who has yet to return from injury — wouldn’t be hindered by their injuries in the decision making.

“Carol was like, ‘Oh, well you and Diana [Taurasi] will be fresh,” Ogwumike said.

But then the roster was released, and Ogwumike wasn’t on it. When Callan called her with the decision, Ogwumike told ESPN she was stunned.

“She said that the committee, they weren’t sure about my injury and that they wanted to go with a younger, more versatile player,” Ogwumike says. “That was the reasoning that they gave me over the phone.”

Based on the communication Los Angeles Sparks trainer Courtney Watson had with USA Basketball about Ogwumike’s process, the reasoning didn’t add up.

“It almost felt as though that excuse was now attacking the integrity of my care,” she said. “Like, if [she’s] not on the team, is she more hurt than we think she is?’

“But I was very transparent with what happened and my prognosis. Courtney communicated with them… I just think there was a lot of backtracking once the decision was made.”

For now, Ogwumike is focused on Nigeria moving forward. She hopes that eventually her appeal to the CAS will move forward and that soon she will be able to play for the country for which she holds dual-citizenship.

“There’s just so many prominent Africans and Nigerians that are doing some really great things,” she said. “If I can help break the ceiling, then I think that we can see the true mission of what we all play for: to move forward. Sports move us forward.”

She finished by saying that the hard work she has put in up until this point “is going to show for something… And if it means going in another direction — that’s what it means.”

LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.

From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.

USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.

Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.

One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.

Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.

How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network

The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

With the rookie card of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark still doing numbers, trading card manufacturer Panini America is debuting Caitlin Clark Chronicled this week, dropping a limited-edition release on Monday that features a 22-page collectible book and 100-card set of the WNBA standout.

The book spans images of Clark on and off the court, and includes eight four-card packs and 32 randomly inserted trading cards, as well as autographed exclusives.

"I'm excited to launch 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' with Panini America and share some of my favorite moments on and off the court from my first two years in the WNBA," Clark said in Monday's statement. "We wanted to create something different that combined great photography with trading cards, including some special exclusives. I am proud of this collection and hope fans enjoy it."

The WNBA superstar is an exclusive Panini partner in the trading card and autographed memorabilia space, with Clark making headlines last July when her one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for more than $600,000 — setting a new world record for a women's sports card.

How to buy Panini's 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' card set

Panini's limited edition Clark collection is currently available for purchase at Target stores and Target.com.

Tensions remain high between the WNBA and WNBPA, after The Athletic reported on Monday that the latest CBA proposal from Players Association more than doubles the league's revenue share offer — suggesting a deepening rift in negotiations.

The union outlined a deal that would give players around 30% of total WNBA and team revenue — a significant leap from the league's proposed 15% share.

According to sources, the WNBPA also suggested linking the salary cap to the previous season's total revenue, factoring in player benefits and the number of teams in the league.

The move intends to undercut an accusation from the WNBA that the players have yet to put forward an economically viable revenue sharing model.

The union's proposal begins at 29% of the prior season's total league grosses, then grows to 34% by the final year of the CBA with a one-time adjustment for the new 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA media rights deal.

Notably, the league recently rejected a flat 33% revenue share CBA proposal, prompting this week's 1%-per-year increase system in response.

It's clear that the WNBA office and the WNBPA are at odds, but the union is showing their work as both sides strive for a CBA that will keep players on the court in 2026.

Olympic swimming icon Katie Ledecky has done it again, becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mile with a time of 14:59.62 at her namesake Katie Ledecky Invitational in Maryland.

Smashing her own US record of 15:01.41, Sunday's sub-15 minute mile gives Ledecky the 1,650-meter freestyle's eight fastest times, with US teammate Erica Sullivan earning the ninth-best in 2019.

"This is a special one for sure," Ledecky said afterwards. "This has been a goal of mine, to break 15 minutes in the 1,650, for probably eight or nine years. So, just putting in the hard work, believing that I could do it someday, and to do it at this meet, is really special."

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The 28-year-old Washington, DC, product is the most decorated women's swimmer in the history of the sport, prompting Nation's Capital Swimming — where Ledecky got her start at age six — to name their annual event in her honor earlier this year.

"I definitely was a little nervous before the race, just knowing there were a lot of eyes on me and all that," she continued. "But I knew I could just relax and have fun with it, and whatever happened, happened."

How to watch Katie Ledecky in action

Ledecky's next major competition will likely be the TYR Pro Swim Series, which kicks off in Austin on January 14th, 2026.

The domestic competition series will be covered across NBC Sports platforms.