What They're Saying: Nneka Ogwumike Named MVP


Nneka Ogwumike was named MVP yesterday in what has been a historic season for both her and the Sparks. Nneka nearly broke the WNBA record for FG%, after shooting an impressive 66.5% from the field (second only to Tamika Raymonds 66.8% back in 2003). She also was third in the league in both scoring (19.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg), sixth in the league amongst forwards in assists (3.1 apg) and chipped in over a block and steal per game on the defensive end.

The only thing left for Ogwumike and the Sparks is finishing the season with a championship. Before that, let’s see What They’re Saying about Nneka being named the MVP:

LA Times: MVP Nneka Ogwumike Wants Even More Than That

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The newly crowned MVP of the WNBA carefully reaches out and hands her guest a prized possession.

“Here it is,’’ the Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike says with a big smile.

It is not the MVP trophy, which Ogwumike will receive Wednesday night at the Pyramid in Long Beach before the Sparks host the Chicago Sky in the first game of the WNBA semifinals.

It is not a championship ring, which Ogwumike hopes to win next month as the Sparks have a legitimate chance to win their first league title in 14 years.

ESPN: No Matter How You Look At It, Nneka Ogwumike Is The Right Pick For MVP

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There was a moment earlier this season when there was a bit of a strange sound in Nneka Ogwumike’s voice when she was asked about the difficulty of facing defending champion Minnesota.

Was that a little edge we heard from Ogwumike? She of the perpetually cheerful disposition and easy, bubbling laugh? Yeah, it sounded that way.

She wasn’t growling or anything like that. But she basically said she was pretty sure the Lynx were focusing on the Lynx, not the Sparks. Thus, the Sparks needed to do the same thing: focus on themselves.

The Players’ Tribune: My Sister: The MVP

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Have you ever met twins who were born 628 days apart?

Well, now you have.

Hi there.

Meet me and my big sister Nneka.

O.K., so obviously we’re not actually twins … but we may as well be. The first thing you should know about sisters who are really, really close is that we have our own language.

And I don’t just mean emojis (though we do have our own sister-emoji code). Here, for example, is a text exchange with Nneka from this past weekend:

Vice Sports: Nneka Ogqumike Is The Most Efficient Shooter ever In Professional Basketball 

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The WNBA season ended Sunday, making it official: Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike is the most efficienct shooter in the history of professional basketball.

Ogwumike, considered a favorite to with the WNBA MVP award, finished her 2016 campaign with a field goal percentage of 66.5 percent. That, by itself, is impressive—second all-time in WNBA single seasons to Tamika Raymond’s 66.8 percent back in 2003.

But that is raw field goal percentage, which doesn’t take into account how and where she shot from. Ogumike made 66.9 percent of her twos, but incredibly, managed to shoot 16-for-26 from three-point range this year, good for a 61.5 percent clip.

WNBA.com: Nneka Ogwumike’s Rise to MVP

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Here are just a few of the words used by coaches, players, analysts and fans to describe Nneka Ogwumike and her game: smart, efficient, athletic, quick, gritty, tenacious, physical, focused, effort, hard worker.

When speaking with her college coach, Tara VanDerveer of Stanford University, there was another word that stood out: springy.

It’s such a perfect word to describe Nneka’s ability to exploit opponents with her superior quickness and athleticism in all facets of the game – offensive rebounds and put-backs, straight line or backdoor cuts to the basket for layups, getting in the passing lane for a steal or leaping quickly to block an opposing players shot.

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