Nneka Ogwumike is transferring on from the Seattle Storm after two seasons, signing a brand new deal to be a part of the Los Angeles Sparks in free agency, in accordance to her sister, ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike.
Ogwumike returns to the Sparks, the place she spent the primary 12 seasons of her profession earlier than heading to Seattle. Ogwumike received a championship with Los Angeles in 2016, and earned eight All-Star nods in her time there.
Ogwumike made her intention to go away the Storm clear on Thursday afternoon, posting a “Thank you Seattle” message on social media.
On Friday morning, she posted a video on social media confirming her intentions to return to Los Angeles.
Ogwumike’s departure was considerably anticipated after Noelle Quinn was fired as Seattle’s head coach following the crew’s first-round playoff exit. Quinn, who had been Seattle’s head coach for 5 seasons earlier than being let go, has since joined Unrivaled as the head coach of the Breeze Basketball Club. The Storm hired Sonia Raman as Quinn’s replacement in October.
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Ogwumike completed the 2025 season averaging 18.3 factors, seven rebounds and a pair of.3 assists per sport for the Storm as a beginning ahead. The 35-year-old ahead additionally served because the WNBA Players’ Association (WNBPA) president because the league negotiated its historic collective bargaining agreement this offseason.
Seattle has quite a few different notable free agents this offseason, together with Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor and Brittney Sykes. Magbegor has already been provided a core qualifying supply, whereas Williams and Sykes are extra up in the air. Like Ogwumike, Diggins is anticipated to go away the crew.