Nneka Ogwumike announces 2026 will be her final WNBA season
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The 2016 MVP and eight-time All-WNBA selection will retire at the end of her 15th season.
WNBA champion and 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2026 season. The 36-year-old leaves the league after 15 seasons, eight All-WNBA selections and 11 All-Star appearances.
Nneka Ogwumike is preparing to close one of the most accomplished careers in WNBA history. The Los Angeles Sparks forward announced Wednesday that the 2026 season will be her final one, ending a 15-year career that began when she was selected No. 1 overall by Los Angeles in the 2012 draft. According to Associated Press, Ogwumike won Rookie of the Year in her first season and captured the league MVP award in 2016, when she helped the Sparks win the WNBA championship.
Now 36, she says she feels fulfilled by what she has accomplished. “I just feel like I have poured as much as I could into this game.”
Ogwumike returned to Los Angeles this season after two years with the Seattle Storm and earned her 11th All-Star selection. She is averaging nearly 17 points per game. Her influence, however, extends beyond the court. As president of the WNBA players’ union, Ogwumike played a significant leadership role as players negotiated a transformative collective bargaining agreement earlier this year.
WNBA players’ union executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson praised Ogwumike for using her leadership position to push the league forward for current and future players. Ogwumike also reflected on playing alongside generations of stars, from Maya Moore and Tina Thompson to Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson.
Her decision to retire appears less about being forced out by age than recognizing that she is ready for a different pace. “I just feel content. I feel very content with where I’ve left my career.”