Nneka Ogwumike

Nneka Ogwumike
No. 30 – Los Angeles Sparks
Position Forward
League WNBA
Personal information
Born July 2, 1990
Tomball, Texas
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school Cypress-Fairbanks
(Cypress, Texas)
College Stanford (2008–2012)
WNBA draft 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Pro career 2012–present
Career history
2012–present Los Angeles Sparks
2014-present Dynamo Kursk
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com

Nnemkadi "Nneka" Ogwumike (born July 2, 1990) is an American basketball player of Nigerian descent for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, after being drafted #1 overall. She also plays for Dynamo Kursk of Russia [1] [2] Her name "Nneka" means "Mother is Supreme" in igbo[3] She is 6'2" and plays power forward. She attended Cypress-Fairbanks High School in Cypress, Texas and led them to a 5A State Championship in her senior season.[4] While at Stanford University she helped the Cardinal reach the Final Four four times.

High school

Ogwumike was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2008 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored 17 points, grabbed 6 rebounds,[5] and earned MVP honors for the White team.[6]

High School Statistics

High School

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2007-2008 Cy-Fair 8.0 1.8 2.4 .8 16.8

College

Ogwumike chose Stanford over Baylor, Duke, Connecticut, Tennessee and Notre Dame.[7] She was a member of USA Under 18 Team that won gold in Argentina on July 23–27, 2008. Nneka tallied 20 points and 15 rebounds in the championship game of the Under-18 FIBA Americas. She led team USA to a 5-0 record while leading the team in scoring and rebounding. She was named MVP of this tournament in Argentina.

Nneka has a sister, Chinenye 'Chiney', who is a 6'3" basketball player and attended Stanford with her.[8]

On January 23, 2010, Ogwumike broke the Cardinal record for rebounds in a game with 23 to go along with 30 points in a 100-80 win at Oregon.[9]

On December 20, 2011, Ogwumike scored a career-high 42 points on 19 for 27 shooting while also grabbing 17 rebounds in a 97-80 win over the sixth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols.[10]

On January 7, 2012, Ogwumike surpassed both the 2,000 point and the 1,000 rebound thresholds for her career with a 33 point, 16 rebound performance against Oregon State.[11]

Ogwumike left the Stanford Cardinal as the second all-time leading scorer for the women's basketball program behind only Candice Wiggins.[9]

College statistics

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2008–09 Stanford .629 N/A .702 6.1 1.0 .4 .3 10.6
2009–10 Stanford .598 .000 .761 9.9 1.4 .9 .5 18.5
2010–11 Stanford .586 .222 .757 7.6 1.2 .9 .6 17.5
2011–12 Stanford .547 .235 .830 10.2 1.8 1.4' 1.1 22.5

USA Basketball

Ogwumike was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event was held in July 2008, when the USA team defeated host Argentina to win the championship.[12] Ogwumike helped the team win all five games, starting all five games and leading all scorers with 12.6 points per game. She was also the leading rebounder with 8 per game. Ogwumike recorded 15 rebounds in the final game against Argentina, an U18 record.[13]

Ogwumike continued on to the USA Women's U19 team which represented the USA in the 2009 U19 World's Championship, held in Bangkok, Thailand in July and August 2009.[14] Although the USA team lost the opening game to Spain, they went on to win their next seven games to earn a rematch against Spain in the finals, and won the game 81–71 to earn the gold medal. Ogwumike started all nine games and was the team's leading scorer, with 13.6 points per game. She was the leading rebounder with almost ten per game, and was named to the all-tournament team.[15]

Ogwumike played on the team presenting the USA at the 2011 World University Games held in Shenzhen, China, along with her sister, Chiney Ogwumike . The team, coached by Bill Fennelly, won all six games to earn the gold medal. Ogwumike averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, both second place on the team behind Elena Delle Donne.[16]

WNBA

On April 16, 2012, the LA Sparks picked Ogwumike first overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft. She became the second player from Cypress-Fairbanks High School to be drafted No. 1 overall into the WNBA behind Lindsey Harding in 2007.

On July 12, 2012, Ogwumike set a career-high in rebounds with 20 to go along with 22 points in a 77-74 win over the eventual WNBA champion Indiana Fever. On September 13, 2012, she scored a career high 30 points on 10 of 15 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds in an 86-77 win over the Chicago Sky. In the regular season finale on September 20, 2012, Nneka matched her teammate Candace Parker for team highs in both points and rebounds with each player earning 22 and 11, respectively, in a 92-76 win over the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx. Ogwumike was 10 for 13 from the field.[17]

Ogwumike was named WNBA Rookie of the Month four out of five times in her rookie season.[18] On October 7, 2012, Ogwumike was awarded as the 2012 WNBA Rookie of the Year. It marked the fifth consecutive year that the award had been won by the first overall draft pick.[19]

WNBA Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game
 PPG  Points per game  TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  Bold  Career high League leader

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2012 Los Angeles 33 33 27.9 .535 .143 .734 7.5 1.2 1.4 .9 1.27 14.0
2013 Los Angeles 34 34 25.8 .566 .400 .826 7.6 1.3 1.5 1.0 1.94 14.6
2014 Los Angeles 33 33 27.6 .520 .300 .873 7.1 1.5 1.8 0.5 2.06 15.8
Career 3 years, 1 team 10010027.10.5390.2730.8087.41.31.50.81.7614.8

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2012 Los Angeles 4 4 25.8 .552 N/A .400 5.3 .5 1.0 .8 1.25 9.0
2013 Los Angeles 3330.3.419N/A .90911.71.00.7N/A 2.0012.0
2014 Los Angeles 2230.0.667N/A1.06.01.00.5N/A3.0013.0
Career 3 years, 1 team 7728.0.520N/A.7417.60.80.80.31.8910.9

Europe

In PLKK season 2012/13 she played for CCC Polkowice and won Championship's title and Polish Cup as well. With CCC she participated in EuroLeague Women 2012–13 reaching Final Eight and ranked #1 overall in Free Throws Percentage (90.3%).[20]

Awards and Honors

References

  1. ↑ "Nnemkadi Ogwumike goes No. 1 to Los Angeles Sparks in WNBA draft - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
  2. ↑ Ogwumike magic keeps Kursk rolling
  3. ↑ "Ifeoma". Online Nigeria:Nigerian Names and meanings. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ USA Basketball profile
  5. ↑ "WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "WBCA High School All-America Game Team MVP's". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  7. ↑ "Scout.com: Nneka Ogwumike Profile". Girlshoops.scout.com. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
  8. ↑ "Chiney Ogwumike 2010 High School Girls' Basketball Profile - ESPNHS". Insider.espn.go.com. 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Top 10 Games of Nneka Ogwumike's Stanford Career - Rule of Tree". Rule of Tree. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Tennessee Lady Volunteers vs. Stanford Cardinal - Box Score - December 20, 2011 - ESPN". ESPNW. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  11. ↑ "Nnemkadi Ogwumike Hits Two Milestones in 67-60 Victory over Oregon State". Stanford athletics. 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  12. ↑ "USA Women's U18 National Team Rolls Through FIBA Americas Championship Undefeated With 81-37 Victory Over Host Argentina". USA Basketball. July 27, 2008. Retrieved 10 Oct 2013.
  13. ↑ "United States". USA Basketball. July 27, 2008. Retrieved 10 Oct 2013.
  14. ↑ "U19 World's Championship for women Thailand". FIBA. Retrieved 10 Oct 2013.
  15. ↑ "USA U19 Women Golden With 87-71 Victory Over Spain". USA Basketball. August 2, 2009. Retrieved 10 Oct 2013.
  16. ↑ "TWENTY-SIXTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES -- 2011". USA Basketball. Retrieved 22 Oct 2013.
  17. ↑ "WNBA.com: Nneka Ogwumike Playefile". WNBA. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  18. ↑ "WNBA.com: Los Angeles' Nneka Ogwumik Named Rookie of the Month For September". WNBA. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  19. ↑ "WNBA -- Nneka Ogwumike named rookie of the year - ESPN". ESPNW. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  20. ↑ Ogwumike profile in EuroLeague Women site
  21. ↑ "Nnemkadi Ogwumike Profile - Stanford University's Official Athletic Site". Stanford athletics. Retrieved October 22, 2012.

External links