Los Angeles Sparks Forward Nneka Ogwumike Named 2012 WNBA Rookie of the Year

NEW YORK, Oct 7, 2012 � Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike earned the 2012 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, the league announced today. Ogwumike received 39 votes from a national panel of 41 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Phoenix Mercury guard Samantha Prahalis and Tulsa Shock forward Glory Johnson each received one vote.

The honor for Ogwumike marked the fifth straight season in which the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft went on to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year. She follows Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Angel McCoughtry (2009), and Candace Parker (2008).

Ogwumike helped the 2012 Sparks author a significant turnaround after Los Angeles missed the postseason last year. The Sparks finished the 2012 regular season with the league�s third-best record (24-10) and earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile. Los Angeles is now taking on the Minnesota Lynx in the Western Conference Semifinals.

A product of Stanford University, Ogwumike led the league�s rookies in points (14 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg), and double-doubles (nine), while ranking second in field-goal percentage (.535, 178-of-333), fourth in steals (1.39 spg), and fifth in assists (1.2 apg).

In a season marked by a consistently strong performance, Ogwumike earned the league�s Rookie of the Month honors four of five times, taking home the award in May, July, August, and September.

The 6-2 forward scored 20-or-more points seven times, with her highest output coming on Sept. 13, an 86-77 victory against the Chicago Sky, when she recorded a double-double with a career-best 30 points and 11 rebounds. In another notable performance, she logged 22 points and 20 rebounds game in a 77-74 win at Indiana on July 12.

In honor of being named the 2012 Rookie of the Year, Ogwumike will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the complete results of the 2011 Rookie of the Year voting, followed by a list of previous winners:

2012 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RESULTS

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS