On Wednesday, Los Angeles Sparks All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike announced her impending WNBA retirement.
“I feel very fulfilled with the 15 years that I’ve been able to play and compete at such a high level, and I am proud to say that I am retiring from the WNBA,” Ogwumike told Taylor Rooks in an exclusive interview for Boardroom.
Toward the end of the 49-minute conversation, Rooks asked Ogwumike whether she’d ever consider becoming WNBA commissioner. Ogwumike laughed, noting everyone always asks her that, before responding, “I don’t close doors. I don’t close doors! But I do appreciate a vacation.”
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As dissatisfaction mounts around WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Ogwumike is a dream candidate to replace her. Ogwumike is serving her third term as President of the WNBPA, and she led the charge on negotiating a historic new collective bargaining agreement this spring.
“I think relationship is really the difference-maker when it comes to leadership,” Ogwumike told Rooks. “I’ve learned this in my time being on the executive committee and as president [of the players’ association]. It’s difficult to know what to do when you don’t know what people want you to do, or you don’t know people’s lived experiences.
“You don’t have rapport with individuals. That’s something that I’ve communicated to presidents, to commissioners, in the W. It’s my style; it’s not everyone else’s style. But that’s how I lead as a person, and that’s definitely something that is gonna show up in how I lead with whatever role or responsibility that is.”
Then, Ogwumike addressed her fit as future WNBA commissioner specifically.
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“We’re speaking about commissioner, [and] I know that’s not an easy job,” she said. “That’s not an easy job, and relationships span not just from partnerships and the board of governors, but the players. Without the players, we don’t have a league. The players are very important in that. And I think any commissioner that has a strong relationship with the players, it’s gonna be difficult for them to fail.”
Ogwumike acknowledged that “there is so much that I don’t know about” and “would have to learn” before potentially becoming WNBA commissioner.
As a player, Ogwumike is an 11-time All-Star, eight-time All-WNBA selection, seven-time All-Defensive selection, and a member of the W25 team. The Sparks drafted Ogwumike with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012, and she promptly won WNBA Rookie of the Year. By 2016, Ogwumike was WNBA MVP, and the Sparks were WNBA champions.
Ogwumike left Los Angeles for the Seattle Storm in 2024, but returned home and rejoined the Sparks in April. At 36, Ogwumike is 16.9 points and 8.7 rebounds this season. The Sparks are 12-23 and well out of playoff contention, so Ogwumike will enjoy her WNBA finale against the Golden State Valkyries on Sept. 24.
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