Nneka Ogwumike Is Returning To The Sparks, Bolstering The Team's Push To Win Now

Nneka Ogwumike is coming location successful a beardown endorsement of nan Sparks’ vow to win during nan upcoming season.

Ogwumike, a 10-time WNBA All-Star, spent nan first 12 seasons of her career pinch nan Sparks aft she was drafted No. 1 wide by nan franchise successful 2012.

But Ogwumike near 2 seasons ago arsenic nan Sparks were struggling to triumph and signed pinch a Seattle Storm squad pinch talent tin of pushing for a championship, a female coach and state-of-the-art facilities.

While she was gone, nan Sparks replaced coach Curt Miller pinch Lynne Roberts, traded for WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum and collapsed crushed connected a new believe facility successful El Segundo.

Ogwumike posted a 45-second video connected societal media connected Friday greeting that showed her intentions to return to nan Sparks. Free agents are free to motion pinch caller teams connected Saturday, erstwhile nan Sparks are expected to officially denote her return.

“It was ever spot you later, now I’ll spot you soon,” Ogwumike wrote successful nan post.

She did not station nan position of nan deal, and they person yet to beryllium reported publicly.

The Sparks person missed nan postseason for nan past 5 seasons, and while they showed immoderate imaginable past play going 21-23 earlier fizzling retired successful nan 2nd half of nan season, adding nan 36-year-old seasoned bolsters their push to return a large measurement guardant into nan playoff mix.

With nan entreaty of immoderate of nan talent already connected their roster and a caller $150 cardinal believe installation scheduled to unfastened successful 2027, nan Sparks are positioning themselves for their champion play successful a while.

The Sparks are apt astir to waste and acquisition 2024 first-round prime Rickea Jackson to Chicago this play for cored defender Ariel Atkins, according to reports. Atkins is simply a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive honoree who played an important domiciled successful nan Washington Mystics’ 2019 championship.

Sparks players cheer arsenic WNBA president Lisa Borders hands nan title trophy to squad proprietor Magic Johnson successful 2016. Nneka Ogwumike was connected nan squad that won nan Sparks’ astir caller title.

(Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)

That leaves them pinch conscionable 3 different players — Plum, who signed a halfway contract; Cameron Brink; and Sania Feagin — nether contract. They did widen qualifying offers to Rae Burrell, Julie Vanloo and Alissa Pili this week arsenic well, fundamentally retaining their rights.

But Ogwumike is nan benignant of subordinate that nan Sparks could build a competitory run around, particularly pinch a beforehand tribunal successful which she plays alongside Brink. With Plum and apt Atkins successful nan fold, nan Sparks could now usage an upgraded ball-handler, unless they spell pinch Plum astatine nan constituent defender spot and attraction connected bringing successful different forward.

Forward Azura Stevens announced connected societal media she is not returning to nan team. The Sparks besides mislaid starting constituent defender Julie Allemand to Toronto successful nan description draught past week.

Forward Dearica Hamby remains unsigned. She started 84 games during nan past 2 seasons, but is apt down Ogwumike and Brink connected nan Sparks’ extent floor plan and whitethorn push for a bigger domiciled pinch different team.

The Sparks don’t person a first-round draught pick, truthful they will request to prosecute talent connected nan robust free supplier marketplace aliases make different waste and acquisition to bolster their backcourt. If they elite to spell pinch Plum astatine nan constituent defender spot, they could commencement Burrell arsenic a mini guardant aft her beardown offseason pinch Unrivaled, but they still request much depth.

During nan adjacent 7 days, nan Sparks will person a chance to make immoderate moves to support a seasoned halfway of Ogwumike and Plum alongside a rising prima successful Brink arsenic they push to make nan playoffs.

Ogwumike spent nan past 2 seasons successful Seattle, wherever she averaged 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals successful 2025. Ogwumike’s departure was somewhat expected aft Noelle Quinn was fired arsenic Seattle’s caput coach pursuing nan team’s first-round playoff exit.

The president of nan WNBPA, Ogwumike played an basal domiciled successful nan historical corporate bargaining statement nan convention and players agreed to successful March, which led to nan net headdress being raised to $7 cardinal per game.

Nneka Ogwumike, photographed successful downtown Los Angeles successful 2019, is returning to nan Sparks aft 2 seasons successful Seattle.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

On Wednesday, speculation was rampant that Ogwumike mightiness extremity up successful Minnesota aft a balloon institution shared a video of a balloon motion that read: “Welcome Nneka,” but nan guardant clarified connected Instagram that it was conscionable a greeting welcoming her to a gathering pinch nan Lynx, not an denotation she was signing there.

In a WNBA wherever nan mostly of nan league’s players are free agents, teams person an opportunity to reinvent themselves this offseason. It seems apt that Seattle, pinch Skylar Diggins-Smith and Gabby Williams arsenic free agents arsenic well, could return a measurement back. The forecast for description clubs Portland and Toronto won’t return style until they decorativeness building their rosters.

The Sparks allowed nan astir points against successful nan convention successful 88.2 successful 2025, a flaw Ogwumike and Atkinsp on pinch a afloat play of Brink will thief address.

The Sparks person promised fans they would complete their rebuild and go title contenders again. Ogwumike’s announcement suggests she believes successful nan translator plan.