Nneka Ogwumike announces retirement after 2026 WNBA season

Nneka Ogwumike will retire from the WNBA at the end of the 2026 season, bringing her 15-year career to a close. The 36-year-old Los Angeles Sparks forward has been selected for 11 All-Star games and was named the league’s 2016 MVP.

Ogwumike said she feels the time is right to leave the sport after reaching a sense of fulfilment. She also acknowledged that her body has signalled that she should stop, with the Nigerian-born star determined to step away while still feeling complete as a person.

Her career has been closely tied to the Sparks, where she spent her first 12 seasons after being chosen first overall in the 2012 draft from Stanford University. She moved to the Seattle Storm for the 2024 season before returning to Los Angeles on a free-agent contract in April.

Ogwumike’s most significant team achievement came with the Sparks’ 2016 championship. During that campaign, she averaged 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in the regular season, then posted 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds across nine playoff games.

The eight-time All-WNBA selection and seven-time All-Defensive honouree has also won two Women’s Basketball World Cup gold medals with the United States. Away from the court, she has served as president of the WNBA Players Association since 2016.

Retirement from the WNBA will not mean an immediate end to her playing career. Ogwumike plans to compete in the new Project B League during the winter off-season before completing her departure from professional basketball after the 2026 campaign.