Chiney Ogwumike Executive Producing ESPN Films Documentary on 2020 WNBA Season
Los Angeles Sparks star Chiney Ogwumike announced Tuesday she will serve as an executive producer for an ESPN Films documentary about the 2020 WNBA season:
The WNBA said last July it was making social justice a large focus of its season, which was staged at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Breonna Taylor's name appeared on the back of every jersey in the league last season. Taylor was shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020. Throughout the year, players drew attention to other women who were the victims of police and racial violence.
WNBA players also openly campaigned for Raphael Warnock as he was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. The incumbent senator was Kelly Loeffler, who has an ownership stake in the WNBA's Atlanta Dream and criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and the league's racial justice efforts.
During the 2020 general elections, Warnock forced a runoff against Loeffler. According to the Washington Post's Angele Delevoye, the WNBA players likely played a role in Warnock generating the necessary money and momentum to become the top Democrat in the race and compete with Loeffler.
Warnock bested Loeffler in the runoff election earlier this month, and the state of Georgia certified his victory Tuesday. Warnock will become Georgia's first Black U.S. Senator when he's sworn in on Wednesday.
