The Los Angeles Sparks enter the 2023 season as a transformed team, with a new coach, a new general manager and a new philosophy.

Nneka Ogwumike has noticed the difference.

The 32-year-old forward has spent her entire career with the Sparks, from her 2012 Rookie of the Year campaign to the 2016 WNBA championship season. While she has seen ups and downs in her tenure, she has never seen the organization at this level, she said at the start of training camp.

“This is the first time I’ve really experienced what I believe to be a professional organization,” Ogwumike said.

Head coach Curt Miller and general manager Karen Bryant, who both came to Los Angeles in the offseason, immediately put their stamp on the team.

“That leaves space for me to not have to step into a manager role, which doesn’t leave me a lot of time to do the things that I really want to do, which is play basketball and hang out with my teammates,” Ogwumike said. “I really feel like I’ve relinquished a lot of that because we have some truly phenomenal people that have turned this organization into what it deserves to be.”

In another change, the Sparks parted ways with team president Vanessa Shay earlier this week. She had joined the team last May from the NWSL’s San Diego Wave. Sparks managing partner Eric Holman thanked Shay for guiding the team “through an important transition.”

With the reins now in the hands of Bryant and Miller, the team is prepared to start fresh. And while Ogwumike rejoined the Sparks on a one-year deal, Miller does not feel any pressure for the upcoming season, which tips off on May 19.

Miller cautioned against looking too far into the future. Instead, he wants to work day by day to build toward success, a journey “we think could be very special — and more importantly, sustainable,” he said.

“There’s going to be no more pressure than what we believe in our own locker room,” Miller said.

Nneka Ogwumike is back with the Los Angeles Sparks. The 2016 WNBA MVP re-signed with the team on a one-year deal.

The 32-year-old forward was drafted No. 1 overall by the Sparks in 2012, and she has spent the entirety of her 11-season career in Los Angeles. The one-year deal is worth $165,000, ESPN reported.

Ogwumike had been vocal about wanting to return, and she has been working with new coach Curt Miller and new general manager Karen Bryant on setting the direction for the team.

“I feel like I’m reaching a pivotal point my career and understanding what I want it to mean,” Ogwumike told ESPN. “I’m excited to see a lot of the enhancements that we’re making. I’m grateful to be surrounded by both players, coaches and staff that have a greater vision for the organization.

“I feel really good with where I’m at and how I’m progressing as an athlete. I want to be able to win and do that with some great people. I really do believe in this organization.”

Miller and Bryant both said that re-signing Ogwumike and getting her input on their offseason moves were top priorities. 

“She’s had a front-row seat in the franchise for many years for many years, and has seen the things that have worked and things that have not been as successful,” Bryant said. “Her global view, playing experience and credibility were hugely valuable to us.”

Ogwumike’s sister Chiney also has re-signed with the Sparks.

“We’re really two entities that are stronger together,” Nneka Ogwumike said. “It’s always something to be celebrated. And I really want to take that to another level in winning with my sister.”

WNBA Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike continues to speak out on the WNBA’s travel woes, calling on the league to provide charter flights for the 2023 season.

In a statement issued Tuesday via the WNBPA, Ogwumike called the issue of commercial travel for teams a “serious health and safety concern that must be remedied.”

Her statement comes after the Los Angeles Sparks spent the night in Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., due to flight delays. Ogwumike detailed the ordeal on social media, saying that half the team spent the night in the airport due to a lack of hotel rooms. The team is set to play Connecticut in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The league’s most recent CBA details that teams can pay for premium economy seats on airplanes. Players have the option to pay out of their own pockets to upgrade to first class, but charter flights are not allowed. But as several teams around the league have dealt with travel issues this season, calls for charter flights have grown louder.

“‘Competitive advantage’ is a tired argument that has overstayed its welcome. It has become a phrase that impedes transformational growth across our league,” Ogwumike said. “The numbers and the trends suggest that The W is a smart investment with a measurable return. New and emerging ownership groups have demonstrated an ability and eagerness to invest the necessary resources to grow this league in the areas that require it most.”

While the league has said it will charter flights for the 2022 playoffs, it has penalized teams for opting to charter flights in the past. Last season, the New York Liberty were fined after owners Joe and Clara Tsai flew players to and from games in violation of the CBA.

But, as Ogwumike points out, the commercial travel landscape has changed since the WNBPA and WNBA negotiated the current CBA. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the required form of travel “remains a significant burden on our players and their bodies,” Ogwumike said.

The Sparks forward also called on private and commercial airline companies to step up and “recognize this bold opportunity to lead” in a partnership with the WNBA. Earlier this year, Delta and the NWSL announced a multi-year partnership, with Delta becoming the official airline of the league. No such deal exists in the WNBA.

The Los Angeles Sparks spent the night in the airport Sunday. The team’s flight home from Washington, D.C., was canceled, which left half the team sleeping in the airport, star Nneka Ogwumike said.

Ogwumike chronicled the ordeal on social media, updating her followers on the team’s attempt to fly home Sunday after defeating the Mystics. The Sparks will face the Connecticut Sun in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“This is my first time in 11 seasons that I’ve ever had to sleep in the airport,” Ogwumike said. “Half of us are sleeping in the airport, half of us are in a hotel. There weren’t enough rooms.”

According to Ogwumike, the team’s flight was delayed several times before being canceled at 1 a.m. ET and rescheduled for the morning at 9 a.m. ET.

Sparks assistant coach Latricia Trammell also took to Twitter to lament the team’s travel misfortunes.

Travel accommodations have been a hot topic in the WNBA, with many players calling for a move away from commercial flights to chartered flights. The league, however, requires all teams to fly commercial to mitigate competitive advantage, with some owners unwilling or unable to secure charter flights.

In response to travel grievances, the WNBA supplied charter flights for the Commissioner’s Cup championship game and will do the same for the WNBA Finals.

The Stanford athletic department announced Sunday its first all-women Hall of Fame class in school history, in a continuation of its Title IX 50th anniversary celebrations.

Christen Press and Nneka Ogwumike will headline the class of eight athletes.

The list of inductees also includes Tara VanDerveer, who will be honored for her legendary basketball coaching career, which includes three national titles in her 36 seasons at Stanford.

Eligible for induction 10 years after their final competition season, the athletes being honored have produced four NCAA team championships and six individual NCAA titles as well as Olympic medals and national player of the year awards. All eight athletes were All-Americans during their time at Stanford.

They will be inducted in a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 9, and honored during Stanford’s football game against USC the following day.

Full list of inductees:

  • Lisa Bernhagen Ramos, track and field, 1986-89
  • Elaine Breeden Penrose, swimming and diving, 2007-10
  • Margie Dingeldein, water polo, 1999-2002
  • Ashley Hansen, softball, 2009-12
  • Carly Janiga Reardon, gymnastics, 2007-10
  • Nneka Ogwumike, basketball, 2009-12
  • Christen Press, soccer, 2007-10
  • Sally Voss Krueger, golf, 1976-79
  • Tara VanDerveer, basketball coach, 1985-present
  • Linda Meijer, special recognition for service to athletic department

June is in the WNBA rearview mirror, and with it came highlights aplenty. From triple-double records to 35-point games to overtime battles, the stars of the league showed out.

Each month through the end of the regular season, Just Women’s Sports will select five starters and five reserves making up the team of the month.

As teams fight for playoff position, records become extra important. When making my selections for June’s lineup, team success was a key component in the evaluation process. There will always be outliers who can’t be ignored, but overall if a player is putting up big numbers but not necessarily propelling their team to victory, they have a lower chance of making the team of the month.

Here’s who made the cut for June.

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Courtney Vandersloot led the Sky to a 9-2 record in June. (Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images)

Courtney Vandersloot, G, Chicago Sky

Though she’s a four-time All-Star, the Chicago Sky guard often performs in the background for her team. Vandersloot is elite at running the show and setting up her teammates, which is always her focus as a traditional point guard. Her numbers reflect that, with Vandersloot averaging 11 points, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game this season.

But the veteran player is also a skilled scorer when she wants to be. In June, Vandersloot led the Sky in scoring in three straight games, with 25, 15 and then 18 points. She also recorded a 20-point, 10-assist double-double to help the Sky close out an 88-86 win over the Liberty on June 12. The Sky were 9-2 in June, with Vandersloot leading the team in assists in six of those contests.

Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty

May was a month to forget for the Liberty, as the team went 1-7 to open the season. The New York squad greatly improved in June, going 7-4 and inching closer to a winning record. A big part of the successful month was Ionescu, who averaged 20.3 points per game in June and led the Liberty in scoring in six of their 11 contests.

Ionescu’s triple-double on June 12 was a highlight, but it was also indicative of the well-rounded play she brought all month. She led the Liberty in at least one category in all 11 games, led in two categories in four games and led in three categories twice.

Emma Meesseman, F, Chicago Sky

The Sky were the best team in the WNBA in June, recording just two losses, so it makes sense to have two players on this list. Joining Vandersloot is fellow All-Star Meesseman, who has been a key contributor to the reigning champions in her first season in Chicago. Meesseman averaged 14.4 points per game in June and had her biggest performances in close contests.

After leading the Sky with 20 points and 11 boards in an 88-86 win over the Liberty on June 12, she added 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 106-100 overtime victory over the Dream five days later. Meesseman was also efficient with her opportunities, shooting 57 percent from the field over the nine games.

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Connecticut's Jonquel Jones recorded five double-doubles in June. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jonquel Jones, F, Connecticut Sun

The reigning WNBA MVP is having another stellar season, averaging 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for Connecticut. Jones was particularly strong in June, recording five double-doubles in 11 contests. She led the Sun in points seven times and in rebounding seven times, and there were four games in which she led in both categories.

Jones got her team off to a hot start in June, recording 20, 24, 25 and 16 points in the Sun’s first four games (all wins). Her efforts have helped Connecticut stay in fourth place in the league standings, just two games behind the first-place Sky.

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Nneka Ogwumike averaged 18.6 points for the Sparks in June. (Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Nneka Ogwumike, F, Los Angeles Sparks

I promised the occasional outlier in choosing the WNBA Team of the Month, and here it is. The Sparks went 2-5 in June, but Ogwumike was a noticeable bright spot. She led her team in scoring in every contest, averaging 18.6 points, while also recording two double-doubles. Ogwumike has been the most consistent piece on a rocky Sparks squad, and her play in June was particularly indicative of the seven-time All-Star’s individual dominance this season.

Reserves

Skylar Diggins-Smith, G, Phoenix Mercury

The 10-15 Mercury are struggling, but Diggins-Smith is not. The guard leads the league in minutes played and is third in points. She had 25 points or more in four games in June.

Kelsey Plum, G, Las Vegas Aces

Plum could easily be a part of this month’s starting five. The All-Star Game MVP is in the midst of a breakout season and averaged 23 points per game in the month of June.

A’ja Wilson, F, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson, averaging 18.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season, had five double-doubles in June alone. Her month included a 35-point performance in an 89-72 win over the Sparks, tying her career-high.

Breanna Stewart, F, Seattle Storm

Stewart averaged 22 points a game in June, leading the Storm in scoring six times. Stewart was also efficient with the ball, turning it over just nine times all month as she helped the 16-8 Storm hold onto third place in the standings.

Alyssa Thomas, F, Connecticut Sun

While Jones continues to put up huge numbers for the Sun, Thomas has had a hand in every victory, contributing in multiple ways. She led her team in rebounding four times and in assists 10 times. The highlight of her month was a double-double in a win over the Storm, with 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike is speaking out about the WNBA and the league’s representation in media.

While speaking with reporters following the Los Angeles Sparks’ win over the Dallas Wings, Ogwumike provided a thorough response to Jackie Rae of Nitecast Media’s question on the media’s role in bringing attention to what the WNBA is producing on the floor.

“Having beat reporters is very important,” said Ogwumike, adding that when the team won the WNBA title, a flood of people suddenly began covering the team who knew nothing about the players or the squad.

The former WNBA MVP went on to talk about the league’s TV deals, advocating for greater visibility.

“I personally think that we can have better TV deals, that’s just my personal opinion,” said Ogwumike. “We appreciate the support that we get with what already exists, but it shouldn’t be so damn hard to find our games, like it really shouldn’t.”

Friday’s game was one of a rare few aired on network television, appearing on CBS. The ESPN family of networks will air 25 WNBA regular-season games, with nine of those matchups airing on ABC. Each of the WNBA’s 12 teams will play a total of 36 regular-season games during the 2022 campaign.

Ogwumike concluded her remarks by pushing for greater representation in the media, specifically speaking about the importance of Black reporters in the league.

“Having people who look like a majority of this league telling the stories of the women of this league is very important,” said Ogwumike. According to a 2021 report from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, 74.5 percent of WNBA athletes are Black.

The Los Angeles Sparks’ July 4 matchup against the Phoenix Mercury will air on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.

Nneka Ogwumike sealed the Los Angeles Sparks’ 85-83 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, sinking the putback after her own missed shot to give her side the lead with eight seconds left on the clock.

Ogwumike finished the night with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Liz Cambage added 15 points and three rebounds to the Sparks’ tally.

Chennedy Carter led all scorers in her first start with Los Angeles, notching an impressive 20 points behind 53.3 percent shooting, six rebounds and four assists.

Kayla McBride led the Lynx with 19 points, while Sylvia Fowles and Aerial Powers each added 15 points for Minnesota.

The Sparks, however, were able to hold off Minnesota down the stretch to improve to 4-6 on the season as the Lynx fell to 1-7.

 

Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike spearheaded the WNBA’s landmark collective bargaining agreement in 2020 as president of the WNBA Players Association. Two years later, she’s continuing to push for gender equity, and believes the CBA was just the beginning for the WNBA.

Speaking with Just Women’s Sports as the news broke of the WNBA’s historic $75 million capital raise, Ogwumike had the league’s future on her mind.

“I am excited that we were able to come this far from starting with a new monumental CBA and then, of course for the players, investment means that we will be provided more resources and hopefully be playing in a league that is so much better than when we entered it,” Ogwumike tells JWS. “It will be interesting to see how it directly affects the players, and I look forward to any organization that is here to support women’s sports.”

The milestone investment includes the backing of more than two dozen investors ahead of the WNBA’s 26th season. With the announcement came renewed questions about player salaries, amenities such as travel and league expansion. The WNBA currently has 12 teams and an increasingly restrictive 144 roster spots.

Ogwumike says that her ideal timeline for WNBA expansion was “yesterday.”

“I think that it needs to happen, and we need to ensure that the teams that are here are here to stay. We can’t continue to see teams bounce around, we can’t continue to have dispersal drafts,” she says. “It’s important for us to reimagine the business in a way that is for sustainability and that is for longevity and for growth.”

The 31-year-old adds that she is energized by the “fervor around the conversation,” which speaks to “a league that is growing and finding its footing finally in a way that is very hopeful for everyone.”

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(Courtesy of adidas)

It’s difficult to imagine the WNBA would be in the promising place it is today without the 2020 CBA, which Ogwumike helped negotiate for years in her role with the WNBPA. The agreement raised the maximum salary to $215,000 per year, with players eligible to make up to $500,000 annually between league marketing agreements, additional incentives and mid-season tournament cash prizes. Fully paid maternity leave, a childcare stipend and housing assistance were also included in the league’s overhaul.

“The journey was way more rewarding than anything else because I really got to get to know the players. I got to understand the intricacies of the business, especially as we look to sustain a business model,” Ogwumike says of the negotiating process. “I also learned so much about how much of a say athletes and players do have. It seemingly isn’t so at times when things don’t necessarily go your way.”

Ogwumike, a 10-year WNBA veteran and the 2016 league MVP, admits the CBA ratification exposed her to various experiences and viewpoints she hadn’t previously considered. That helped develop “a robust representation in our executive committee and our Players Association,” Ogwumike says, “because we’ve empowered each other to express how we feel, to make space for people and their own experience and contribute that to the greater good.”

Her efforts not only altered the fabric of the WNBA, but also provided a blueprint for other women’s professional leagues. The NWSL, after many months of tense negotiations, ratified the league’s first-ever CBA on Jan. 31 in an agreement with the NWSL Players Association.

The Sparks forward says that she had conversations with NWSL players during the WNBA’s talks, offering them guidance on the negotiating process and what to look out for when executing a CBA of their own.

“I realized … having players from other leagues contact us and ask our opinion and our advisement is exactly what we’re doing it for,” Ogwumike says. “If we hadn’t fought and signed our CBA, there wouldn’t even be any framework for other leagues to figure out how they can do it themselves.

“We are all women looking to live in a world where we can work in equity, and we can have careers where resources and our value are a priority.”

On top of inspiring other women in sport, the WNBA’s CBA also emboldened women across industries. While Ogwumike wasn’t aware of its widespread impact at the time, she says the WNBPA was intentional with “[moving] the starting line” for those who come next.

“What really surprised me was that there were women in what you would describe as conventional careers — not necessarily in sport and entertainment — that sought things that we had implemented in our CBA,” she says. “That was a pleasant surprise for me, and I was really happy that we were able to represent those who may not have had the opportunity so far to do it for themselves.”

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(Courtesy of adidas)

Ogwumike’s intersectional approach to pay and resource equity translates into her participation in the Impossible is Nothing campaign with adidas, which seeks to empower and support women in sport by spotlighting athletes, launching new innovations and sustaining grassroots programs.

“Impossible is Nothing is all about being a brand that is an ally for established women and upcoming women and non-binary athletes and people who are kind of paving their own path in possibilities in sport,” Ogwumike says. “I certainly wanted to be a part of it because there is so much that is changing for us as women in sport that just has to be out there … I might be someone they are seeing that they haven’t seen before doing what I do.”

What the Ogwumike really appreciates about her partnership with the brand, and what she says adidas is better at than anyone else, is the intersection of basketball, sport, culture, music and fashion.

Impossible is Nothing’s holistic approach has exposed Ogwumike to athletes and creators she says she wouldn’t have normally encountered. In January, for example, she sat on a panel with Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema, UK-based model Ellie Goldstein and basketball player and activist Asma Elbadawi.

“I think we are so focused on learning and respecting each other’s difference, but we are the same in so many ways. That’s something that contributes to forward movement, and that’s definitely something we have realized in the WNBA,” Ogwumike says. “Our differences are what make us the league and the W, but our similarities are what pushes us forward in that and the celebration of us having common ground.”

When it comes to that fight, pay equity is at the center of the conversation. While the 2020 CBA has certainly improved the WNBA’s playing conditions, compensation remains an issue. For Ogwumike, the solution is straightforward: pay women more.

“I think it’s interesting when pay equity people start acting like its rocket science when it exists just not mostly for women,” she says. “So there’s nothing different that needs to happen. You just need to do it for a different type of people.”

Clare Brennan is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

Nneka Ogwumike and Modern Fertility are partnering up to give all WNBA players the opportunity to take a hormone test and receive fertility support.

“As President of the league’s player’s association, I’m offering every single WNBA player a Modern Fertility Hormone Test, so we can all understand our fertility on our own terms and make the best decisions for ourselves,” Ogwumike, a forward with the Los Angeles Sparks, wrote in an announcement on Instagram.

“As athletes, the conversation has changed,” Ogwumike continued in a video. “It just kind of started and ended with, you’ll have your kids when you’re done. And that’s never sat well with me, especially as women who perform at such high levels. The opportunity to be able to share a resource and having the Modern Fertility tests available to all of these players, it just aligned perfectly.”

The tests can be done at home or at a lab — in the video, Ogwumike is seen taking the test at home — and will provide personalized reports as well as additional consultations with fertility nurses.

“We talk a lot about how proactive fertility information is so important,” said Afton Vechery, co-founder and CEO of Modern Fertility. “And now we’re starting to delay families in favor of our careers, our personal lives, our hobbies, but that’s arguably even more of a concern for pro athletes where quite literally all pro athletes rely on their bodies for their career to do their jobs.

“WNBA players, we are so excited to welcome each and every one of you to the Modern Fertility community.”