We cant compromise our want for fans to be there or want to travel over the needs of student-athletes to be safe in the bubble. Chinenye "Chiney" Ogwumike, a Nigerian-American professional women's basketball player, came into the WNBA to become an All-Star, which she has accomplished twice. She became the first Black woman to host a national radio show for ESPN, while also one of the youngest commentators to be named a full-time NBA analyst for ESPN, while simultaneously playing in the WNBA. But at the same time, it was a huge reminder of how much work we still have to do.". Like Nneka, Chiney attended Stanford before being drafted No. Guards Erica Wheeler and Kristi Toliver had 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Sparks, who are now 10-13 and in a playoff spot in eighth place. Chiney Ogwumike is the co-host of Chiney & Golic, Jr., a daily ESPN radio show that launched in August. Kevin Harlan said calling games in the NBA bubble has felt more normal than he expected. 3b. While Im truly blessed, I hope people can understand that my jobs are not easy, and balancing it all is surely not easy, Ogwumike said. Id also like to have a husband and some kids. What I anticipate heading forward will be name talents from ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, NBC Sports and others taking jobs at places you might not expect as the pot at those traditional outlets gets smaller. In between, she had two serious injuries in her first two seasons overseas and had to change her game plan. TNT will use four new commentator teams during the first round of the NBA playoffs including Brian Anderson-Chris Webber; Spero Dedes-Stan Van Gundy, Bob Fitzgerald-Jim Jackson, and Joel Meyers-Greg Anthony. Were the home of champions. It takes me at least eight weeks to properly train my body to be ready to go, and I was looking at just three weeks. This is per WNBAS new maximum base salary. Tattles about Chiney Ogwumike remaining in a relationship with Hayes Johnson was spreading in the media. Overcoming adversity on the court was accomplished in parallel with pursuing and creating unique opportunities with her business that has expanded far beyond playing the game. Her legacy in basketball is huge. At Tennessee, Anosike emulated her mother by taking on a triple major in sociology-criminal justice, political science and legal studies while captaining the team to consecutive national championships in 2007 and 2008. Then Nneka and Chiney got scholarships to play at Stanford, took the Cardinal to three NCAA Final Fours in four years and became national icons in Nigeria. The former Stanford star will be on a weekly panel with Michael Eaves, Richard Jefferson, and Kendrick Perkins. The Sparks added veteran guard Yang Liwei from China to their roster, the team announced Sunday. But ESPN is making a huge commitment to me so its a different dynamic. I really believe that they have added or tweaked something every day. It was the first time since 2019 that Ogwumike had played in a majority of the games after she opted out of the 2020 pandemic-affected season and injuries hampered her comeback in 2021. Its sort of an experiment. LA Sparks | Our Stanford womens volleyball team just won a national championship. It was also a perplexing decision to reduce The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz by an hour given its popularity. We cannot look any different, Golic and myself, but I think we have a lot in common and we hope to share that with each listener. She was one of the first and youngest commentators ever to be named an NBA analyst for the network covering the NBA, WNBA, and variety of sports, while simultaneousl ET radio spot, is because women and Black women in particular have a chip on their shoulder that we have to prove that were worthy of a voice when it comes to opinion. Ify Ogwumike immigrated from Nigeria to England 30 years ago seeking the kind of western education the Boko Haram dont want women to have. So if I were in power, I always come from the lens of looking for an opportunity to educate, to educate each other on where our perspectives are. She later proceeded to Stanford University where she played for the Stanford Cardinal Womens Basketball. Over the past month theyve committed to work with UNICEF on education and child protection programs in Nigeria and organized a series of fundraisers for Nigerian girls around WNBA games. How do you navigate that with whatever athletic interests remain for you? Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events, WNBA basketball sisters Nneka, right, and Chiney Ogwumike hold signs in reference to the recent mass kidnappings in Nigeria, their parents' homeland. Ogwumike, a former No. This opportunity is important because by doing it, a producer or a coordinating producer can literally say, well, shes doing really well so lets expand our perspective on who else can do this. A lot of people say, especially when it comes to women, that we cant have it all, wrote Ogwumike, who is set to team up again with her older sister Nneka Ogwumike. This is per WNBAs maximum base salary. But they can have a major impact in the on-demand space such as podcasts as well as in small cities. Even the moments when you want a little pocket of space in the broadcast are gone with no crowd. Most pro players play 24/7, including my sister (Nneka, a star player for the Los Angeles Sparks). Early Friday afternoon, news broke that Nneka Ogwumike, sister of Chiney Ogwumike, signed a one-year, $165,000 deal with the LA Sparks. Ogwumike reunited with Head Coach Curt Miller LOS ANGELES (February 22, 2023) The Los Angeles Sparks announced today the re-signing of forward Chiney Ogwumike. Whats the most important thing youve learned so far about doing daily radio? I asked Harlan on Sunday to describe the experience of calling games in the bubble specific to where his broadcast setup was, the lack of crowd in the arena, and social distancing between him and his partner. Im going to keep you posted on my status if youre cool with that. But at the same time hes Notre Dame and Im Stanford so Im going to flex on him in that regard and I know hes ready to flex on me. The more people know about it, the more pressure there is to act.. I think its not so much losing the middle class but losing the upper class. Ogwumikes love life is still unclear with some sources claiming that she is married to the former University of Texas swimmer,Hayes Johnson. Im going to have to explain my perspective and the perspective of other people that I know. With training camp set to begin in late April, the Sparks signed four players to training camp rosters this month: guards Jordin Canada, Layshia Clarendon, Karlie Samuelson and forward Reshanda Gray. I do think as women we are stronger together, period. Capturing the rhythm of a play is diluted a bit being off the floor. (Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike/Associated Press), Worldwide protests demand the rescue of kidnapped Nigerian girls. This is a group of young women targeted for trying to further themselves, and thats why its reached an international crisis.. How One Female Basketball Star, Chiney Ogwumike, Pivoted Into For this new endeavor, Im very excited to represent for the young girls that might want to work in the sport, or anyone that might be a fan, Im a proud nerd.. Based on them, the Boko Haram better run. That show is unique in many ways. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Its just missing one thing or two according to my Mom. Related Articles Chiney Ogwumike Extends ESPN Deal, Could Start Calling NBA Games. Chiney Ogwumike re-signs with Sparks; two-time All-Star reunited with Coach Curt Miller The team leader was an unrestricted free agent and her re-signing is a key piece of the team's offseason plan How am I going to get both done? I think were good. She also weighs 174 lbs (79 kg). It might not be expected as a current athlete, but I want to change what the standards are. ", Ogwumike also makes sure she finds ways to give back. Per Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily, the premiere episode of Hard Knocks averaged 273,000 viewers on TV, the lowest-known figure for an episode of the show. Norby and Dave bringing me on SportsCenter has trained me in how to make any broadcast work because those are the fundamentals that you can take anywhere.. Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Sparks. The two-time WNBA All-Star enters her seventh season in the league and fourth with the Sparks. She receives an annual income of about$215,000or less. After the first game I called Nneka and I was like, Nneka, how did it feel to play? I dont know if you noticed but pretty much all the members of the WNBPA leadership committee have balled out. I love Golic Jr. We built our chemistry at 4 and 5 a.m. You dont wake up and do work unless you love that person. I dont know about the power or usefulness of hashtag activism. Her husband started his pizza franchise in 1984. Shes now a school superintendent in Cypress, Tex. I was waking up at 3 a.m. to go and do radio with Golic Jr., doing four or five segments for SportsCenter, staying late while also training for basketball. Where would you like to be professionally 10 years from now? Im Nigerian, our family are prominent Nigerians and we want people to know we care about the issue. Both the draft and the kidnappings made headlines in Nigeria, where Ogwumike and her sister Nneka are sports celebrities. Gossips about Chiney Ogwumike staying in a relationship with Hayes Johnson was spreading in the media. As you asked this question I started to think about my experience a Nigerian-American, a black woman, born and raised in Cypress Texas. Derek Fisher, the Sparks coach and general manager said in a news release that the team is happy to reincorporate Chiney Ogwumike, a two-time All-Star, for her on-court talents as well as her off-the-court attributes. "It's hard to describe what players go through when they've been out for an extended period of time," Fisher said. I think the WNBA has been a league that has put out that message, and I hope that people start seeing that message as the most important overall. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on the very same night the girls were taken. All staff working on Hard Knocks at the camps are wearing personal protective equipment and contact-tracing bracelets. According to Chiney Ogwumike, when Ify put the first of her four daughters into youth basketball, her Nigerian friends were appalled. I was usually the only person of color in the room growing up. Watson: Your sister, pronounce her name for me. Parker stands at a height of 6 feet and 3 inches (1.91 meters). For instance, nothing would make me happier than succeeding at this radio show and having other opportunities to create my own infrastructure for other girls, other young women, other people of color. Sparks re-sign Nneka Ogwumike, their top free agency priority Well be able to have fun. 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