Los Angeles Sparks (2012–2023) On April 16, 2012, the
Los Angeles Sparks picked Ogwumike first overall in the
2012 WNBA draft. She became the second player from
Cypress-Fairbanks High School to be drafted No. 1 overall into the
WNBA after
Lindsey Harding in 2007. On July 12, 2012, Ogwumike set a career-high in rebounds with 20 to go along with 22 points in a 77–74 win over the eventual
WNBA champion
Indiana Fever. On September 13, 2012, she scored a season high 30 points on 10 of 15 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds in an 86–77 win over the
Chicago Sky. In the regular season finale on September 20, 2012, Ogwumike matched her teammate
Candace Parker for team highs in both points and rebounds with each player earning 22 and 11, respectively, in a 92–76 win over the defending WNBA champion
Minnesota Lynx. Ogwumike was 10 for 13 from the field. Ogwumike was named WNBA Rookie of the Month four out of five times in her rookie season. On October 7, 2012, Ogwumike was awarded as the 2012
WNBA Rookie of the Year. It marked the fifth consecutive year that the award had been won by the first overall draft pick. During the 2014 season, Ogwumike averaged 15.8 ppg and was voted as a
WNBA All-star for the second time in her career along with her sister
Chiney Ogwumike, becoming the first pair of sisters to be selected into a
WNBA All-Star game. In 2016, Ogwumike re-signed with the
Sparks once her rookie contract expired. During the season, Ogwumike was named
AP WNBA Player of the Year, while finishing third in the league in scoring (19.7 ppg), third in the league in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and first in field goal percentage (.665). Her season performance would also help her earn the 2016
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award. During the season, Ogwumike had set a
WNBA record for most consecutive field goals made (23 consecutive field goals over three games) and set a new WNBA single-game record for most field-goal attempts without a miss in which she scored 32 points on 12 of 12 field goal shooting in a 97–73 win over the
Dallas Wings. On June 30, 2016, she scored a career-high 38 points along with 11 rebounds in an 84–75 victory against the
Atlanta Dream. In addition, she set the basketball record for highest
true shooting percentage by reaching 73.7% during the season, becoming the most efficient shooter in the history of professional basketball. With a supporting cast of
Candace Parker and
Kristi Toliver, the
Sparks were a championship contender in the league with a 26–8 record. With the
WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the
Sparks were the number 2 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the
WNBA Finals) facing the
Chicago Sky. The
Sparks defeated the Sky 3–1 in the series, advancing to the
WNBA Finals for the first time since 2003. In the
WNBA Finals, it was the second time in league history where two teams from the same conference faced each other in the
Finals due to the new playoff format. Against the championship-defending
Minnesota Lynx, the
Sparks won the championship in a hard-fought five-game series, winning their first championship since 2002. Ogwumike won her first career
WNBA championship. In game five of the series, Ogwumike had 12 points along with 12 rebounds and scored a game-winning shot after grabbing an offensive rebound to put the Sparks up 77–76 with 3 seconds left in the game. Ogwumike became the seventh player in
WNBA history to win both the regular season
MVP award and a championship in the same season. In 2017, Ogwumike signed a contract extension with the
Sparks. During the 2017 season, Ogwumike was voted into the
2017 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fourth career all-star appearance. On August 18, 2017, Ogwumike scored a season-high 32 points along with 10 rebounds in a 115–106 double overtime victory over the
Chicago Sky. By the end of the season, Ogwumike led the
Sparks in scoring for the second season in a row, averaging 18.8 ppg and the Sparks finished as the number 2 seed for the second year in a row with the same record, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. The
Sparks would go on to advance to the
Finals for the second season in a row, after defeating the
Phoenix Mercury in a 3-game sweep, setting up a rematch with the
Lynx. However, the
Sparks would lose in five games, failing to win back-to-back championships. (left) during a 2021 WNBA game. To start off 2018, Ogwumike scored a season-high 25 points in an 87–70 victory over the
Indiana Fever. Later on in the season, Ogwumike was voted into the
2018 WNBA All-Star Game but would miss the game due to fatigue, which kept her sidelined for over a week in mid July. Ogwumike made her return on August 2, 2018, against the
Minnesota Lynx and scored 15 points in a 79–57 victory. Ogwumike finished off the season averaging 15.5 ppg. The
Sparks finished 19–15 with the number 6 seed in the league. In the first round elimination game, they defeated the championship-defending
Minnesota Lynx 75–68. In the second round elimination game, the
Sparks lost 96–64 to the
Washington Mystics. On July 4, 2019, Ogwumike scored a season-high 31 points along with 10 rebounds in a 98–81 victory over the
Washington Mystics. Ogwumike would be voted into the
2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her 6th all-star appearance. The
Sparks finished off the season as the number 3 seed with a 22–12 record, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second round elimination game, the
Sparks defeated the defending champions
Seattle Storm 92–69. In the semi-finals, the
Sparks were eliminated in a three-game sweep by the
Connecticut Sun. In 2020, the season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at
IMG Academy due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. On September 12, 2020, Ogwumike scored a season-high 24 points in a 84–70 loss to the
Las Vegas Aces. Ogwumike played 18 of the 22 games (sitting out 4 games with a back injury). The
Sparks finished the season 15–7 as the number 3 seed, receiving a bye to the second round, but were once again eliminated by the
Connecticut Sun in the elimination game, Ogwumike was unable to play for the game due to an illness. In January 2021, Ogwumike re-signed with the
Sparks to a multi-year deal. During the 2021 season. the
WNBA's 25th, she was named to
The W25 as one of the top 25 players in league history, in 2023
Seattle Storm (2024–present) On February 5, 2024, Ogwumike signed a one-year contract with the
Seattle Storm. On February 8, 2025, Ogwumike re-signed with Seattle for one more year.
The New York Times (
The Athletic) named Ogwumike as one of the 20 most admired leaders in sports from 2025, quoting professor
Jennifer Lerner on Ogwumike's "sustained elite performance with low ego and low theatrics". Lerner also praised her "labor leadership skills and long-horizon institutional thinking". ==Overseas career==