Former WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, LA Sparks Agree to 1-Year Contract for 2023 Season

Veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike has agreed to re-sign with the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of the 2023 campaign, the team announced Friday.

Terms of the deal were not released, though ESPN's M.A. Voepel reports it was for one year and $165,000.

Ogwumike said in a statement:

"I started in Los Angeles as a wide-eyed rookie hopeful to last and to lead in a city and with a franchise defined by its legends and legacy. Over the last 11 years, with champions and with challenges, my veteran vision remains clear and committed to what it truly means to play in this league, in THIS city, for 12 seasons, repping that iconic purple and gold."

Ogwumike has spent her entire career with the Sparks, which selected her first overall in the 2012 WNBA draft.

The Stanford product is coming off an impressive 2022 season in which she averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 31 games while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from deep.

The 32-year-old's performance last season earned her second-team All-WNBA honors and a seventh All-Star selection.

In addition to helping the Sparks win a WNBA title in 2016, she was also named the league's MVP that year after averaging 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks in 33 games.

With Ogwumike set to return to the Sparks, she'll join a retooled frontcourt that includes her sister, Chiney Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens.

The Sparks have been somewhat vocal about entering a rebuild after hiring Curt Miller as head coach in October following back-to-back seasons without a playoff berth. So, unfortunately for Ogwumike, it's hard to envision L.A. being a title contender this year.

The Sparks open the 2023 season on May 19 against the Phoenix Mercury.