The Ogwumike Sisters
The Ogwumike sisters have written their names on the sands of time through passion, hard work, and determination.
The Ogwumikes, often referred to as the first family of women’s basketball, are four siblings: Nneka, Chiney, Olivia and Erica Ogwumike.
Nneka, the oldest of the four, plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft as she was the Cardinal’s third all-time leading scorer with 2,491 points and earned just about every collegiate honour. With over 7 years of experience in the WNBA, Nneka has almost all the honours the league offers, most notably the 2016 Most Valuable Player (MVP) when she led her team to championship glory.
Chiney, the second of the four, followed in her elder sister’s footsteps, but certainly not in her shadow. She also plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA. Finishing with 2,737 points and 1,567 rebounds, Chiney fortified the Ogwumike legacy before graduating from Stanford College in 2014. She ended her college basketball career as the all-time scoring leader for either sex in Pac-12 Conference history with 967 points. Just like her elder sister, she was drafted as the first overall in the 2014 WNBA draft. Chiney went on to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. She, alongside her sister, Nneka, became the first pair of sisters to be selected into a WNBA All-Star game that same year.
Olivia and Erica both played basketball at Pepperdine University and Rice University. Olivia graduated from Rice University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2019. She is now pursuing an MBA.
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Erica, on the other hand, was recently drafted as the 26th pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. She was traded to the Minnesota Lynx that night. This made her, alongside Nneka and Chiney become the first siblings’ trio to be drafted into the WNBA. Prior to being drafted, Erica decided to study medicine as a sophomore at Rice University. This is an uncommon path for student-athletes, because of the demanding requirements of being a Division 1 basketball player but Erica has shown courage and strength in taking on the challenge. If anyone can do it, it’s her!
With their trophies and achievements, the sisters say they would rather support instead of competing with one another. Once, when Chiney’s team played against Nneka’s, she instinctively clapped for Nneka when she made a free throw against them. They credit this togetherness they share to how they were raised.
They have also partnered with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to support Nigeria’s emergency fund for girls’ education and girls’ empowerment in addition to initiatives that protect and save the lives of children.
The Ogwumike sisters are indeed an inspiration and we wish them even more success in the future.