As Edwin Garcia documented, the close of Nneka Ogwumike’s 15th and final WNBA season was not the end she imagined.
But throughout her swan-song season back with the Los Angeles Sparks, Nneka remained Nneka. That was true on the court, as well as it beyond it.
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That’s why Ogwumike earned her second-straight and fifth-overall Kim Perrot Sportsmanship award.
While the deservedly-celebrated president of the WNBPA who successfully steered the players’ union through the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, Ogwumike’s impact on her fellow players also extended into the more mundane moments between and beyond the whistles and buzzers of the hardwood.
An ever-classy competitor, Ogwumike embraced and uplifted her teammates and opponents alike, with others’ appreciation for her care and kindness evidenced by the genuine emotion that trickled through the court as the seconds wound down in her final game.
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Ogwumike collected 38 of 74 votes, with the also-retiring Rebecca Allen of the New York Liberty finishing second with seven votes. The Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell, Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton, Washington Mystics’ Michaela Onyenwere and Dallas Wings’ Alysha Clark all received three or more votes.
