Veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike played a crucial role in the Seattle Storm’s 71-64 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 3, keeping the team in contention for homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Ogwumike scored 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting, helping the Storm improve to 20-13, just one game behind the Las Vegas Aces for the fourth position in the standings. At 34 years old, Ogwumike raised her career total to 6,396 points, positioning herself to break into the top 10 all-time scoring list by the end of the season. She only needs 19 points to surpass former MVP Sylvia Fowles (6,415 points) for 11th place and 56 points to tie two-time champion Katie Smith (6,452 points) for 10th place. Displaying her usual humility, Ogwumike reacted modestly when informed about this milestone. “I didn’t realize it was happening, but these are things that you really don’t think about when you start playing,” she said in a report by The Seattle Times’ Percy Allen. The former MVP and nine-time All-Star also acknowledged the achievements of Fowles and Smith, stating, “Those are two people that are giants of the W and women’s basketball that I played against. I’m just grateful to be considered in the same company as them.”
The Storm have seven games remaining in the regular season. Percy noted that if Ogwumike continues her impressive performance next season, she could quickly move up to sixth place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, overtaking Candace Parker (6,574 points), Sue Bird (6,802 points), Cappie Pondexter (6,811 points), and Candice Dupree (6,895 points). “That’s something I might think about more once my playing career is over,” Ogwumike stated. “For now, my focus is on excellence and winning.” This season marks Ogwumike’s first with the Storm after spending 12 years with the Los Angeles Sparks, who selected her as the top overall pick in 2012.
