Nneka Ogwumike’s teammates have already left for greener pastures. He watched his former point guard Chelsea Gray lead the Vegas Aces to the best record in the WNBA this season. Candace Parker, whom Ogwumike saw as almost a big sister to the Sparks, won a championship with the Chicago Sky immediately after leaving the struggling franchise that drafted her.
However, with the Sparks headed for their second straight offseason after Sunday’s dismal 116-88 final against him Dallas WingsOgwumike didn’t hesitate when asked if he wanted to return to LA next year.
“I’d love to come back,” he said cheerfully.
After rolling his ankle midway through the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss to Connecticut that sealed the Sparks’ non-playoff fate, Ogwumike missed Sunday’s season finale. The Sparks (13-23) now enter the offseason with nine losses in their last 10 games and six major decisions without restricted free agency.
Ogwumike is the biggest name on the docket. Why, after the franchise’s gradual decline, a coaching change and a teammate who left midseason, is Ogwumike confident about the future of this organization?
“I would describe this season as living in a house you didn’t build,” he said. “So next year we can build our house. I know next year’s plant.”
The plan, Ogwumike hopes, includes a deeper bench. The 32-year-old forward was the Sparks’ only All-Star this season. She had her best scoring year since 2017, averaging 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, but was one of two players to average double figures on the team’s roster in the end of the season Brittney Sykes, who had a game-high 35 points on Sunday, averaged 12.7 points.
“Being the one who scores all the posts, it’s a heavy cross,” Ogwumike said. “It sounds like fun, and everybody seems to want it, but for me, I’m all about having, you know, like a good team. It’s not about having one player that does everything. … I can imagine that most players they would want that. I’m looking forward to seeing that happen.”
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, senior, defends against Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner during a loss Thursday.
(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)
Ogwumike, speaking less than an hour after the season ended, said he has not approached ownership or management about what he hopes can be done going forward.
Interim head coach Fred Williams, who took over in June when Derek Fisher was fired, has already spoken with team officials about the possibility of returning next season, he said Sunday. An LA native, Williams said he would be “honored” if asked to be the head coach of the Sparks.
But unlike Fisher, who handled both coaching and general manager duties, Williams said he wanted to focus more on coaching while working with a separate GM on player personnel decisions. One of the main decisions he would like to make next season is getting help from Ogwumike.
“You don’t want to have her that much playing against a five player, a very big player,” Williams said. “It’s not a big secret — you’ve got to find someone, a big hammer in the middle who’s just going to dominate.”
Liz Cambage had to be that player. But the 6-foot-9 center abruptly left the Sparks in July while averaging 13 points per game, his lowest since his rookie season.
Cambage’s free agent signing was celebrated with an in-person press conference outside the arena as Fisher hoped to energize the fan base with a new star.
But when things went wrong, the Sparks turned to Ogwumike to steady the ship. He took on the task with grace on the final day of the season as he rose from his final interview with a wave and a smile.
“See you next season.”