Nigerian born and United States based female basket ball players, the Ogwumike sisters named Nneka, Chiney, and Erica play for different teams in The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
In an interview with NBA Africa Game Time, by Sho Madjozi which covered several topics even regarding their Nigerian roots. Nneka and Chiney both play for Los Angeles Sparks while Erica was recently drafted and traded to the Minnesota Lynx. Nneka and Chiney have represented the United States of America basketball team while younger sister Erica recently declared her allegiance to play for Nigeria’s D’Tigress at the basketball event of the 2021 Olympic Games scheduled to hold in Tokyo Japan.
Speaking about her first season in the WNBA and new team, Erica said, “Being in Minnesota, they have a culture of winning, so all of them to be honest. I just feel I can learn a lot from all of them. They have a bunch of Hall of Fame coaches, Hall of Fame players. I am just looking to learn everything that I can.”
Chiney talking on their Nigerian roots said, “By nature of being Nigerian and American, I always say that we have the best of both worlds. We have the Nigerian determination, but then we also have the American opportunity. Our parents let us capitalize on that by just saying ‘Hey, we see values that are good for young girls being in sports’, despite that [it] might not have been the same path that most African parents chose at the time.”
Chiney also talked about creating more youth development initiatives in Africa, she said, “I think that the NBA, of all leagues, and the Basketball Africa League, especially under the leadership of Amadou [Gallo Fall], have done an excellent job in creating that infrastructure. They knew that basketball has so much potential to transform lives. Most of their initiatives aren’t just for men, or for boys, it’s for women too. We are making strides, so I’m very optimistic.”
Nneka Ogwumike is the President of the WNBA Players Association and won the 2016 WNBA MVP Award and WNBA Championship with the Sparks in the same year.
Speaking on her accolades she said, “To be honest, it’s an indescribable feeling, it’s an indescribable process. You reach a level that you’ve never experienced before and that’s when you realize, wow, I thought I had hit the pinnacle. I truly don’t believe there ever is really a pinnacle. I think that if you ever feel as if you’ve mastered anything, you’re not living life correctly.”
“I am blessed to be able to have made a living playing basketball, but I think what’s biggest is us being able to make a difference playing basketball.”
