Nigerian Star, Nneka Ogwumike Turns 30 Today.

Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria “Nneka” Ogwumike (born July 2, 1990) is a Nigerian-American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft.

Soon after being drafted, Ogwumike signed an endorsement deal with Nike. She is the older sister of Chiney Ogwumike, who also plays for the Sparks. Ogwumike was named WNBA MVP for 2016; her team also won the WNBA Finals that year.

She also plays for Dynamo Kursk of Russia Her name “Nneka” means “Mother is Supreme” in Igbo, Nigeria – where her family hails from. 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.

While at Stanford University she helped the Cardinal reach the Final Four four times. Ogwumike was elected President of the WNBA Players Association in 2016 and was re-elected to a new three year term in 2019.