Key Takeaways
- Nneka Ogwumike sat down with RG and gave an update on her desire to play for Nigeria at the next Summer Olympics.
- The WNBA All-Star said she's awaiting word from FIBA to make the the switch to the African giants.
- Ogwumike also opened up on the Seattle Storm's impressive start and the expansion of the league across the continent.
Nneka Ogwumike (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike has declared that she is still waiting for a response from the International Federation of Basketball, FIBA, to finalise her international switch from the United States to Nigeria.
Oguwumike, born to Nigerian parents in Texas, has withdrawn from representing the United States since 2020 after winning the 2014 and 2018 FIBA World Cups in Turkey and Spain, respectively.
The 35-year-old made efforts to represent Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but her application was dismissed by FIBA despite being included in the D’Tigress’ provisional selection for the tournament.
Ogwumike has not given up on her dreams to play for the African champions, and she confirmed in an interview with RG that she has filed another application and awaits a decision from the world basketball governing body.
While awaiting a favourable decision, the 2016 WNBA MVP will be cheering Nigeria to victory as they aim to defend the Women’s Afrobasket crown in the Ivory Coast from July 25.
“The application for changes of my nationality is in the works since I said that I was not playing for USA anymore, so we are just waiting to hear back from FIBA," Ogwumike said.
"Hopefully, I can still represent Nigeria at the next Olympics, maybe.”
Before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, her immediate target lies in the WNBA with the Storm.
Synergy Key to Seattle Storm’s Impressive Run
The former US women's basketball star has been on a roll in her 14th WNBA season, climbing to seventh in the all-time WNBA scoring leaderboard with 6,830 points, and she is not slowing down.
Meanwhile, Storm are now fourth in the WNBA table as they chase a fifth Championship and their first since 2020.
Ogwumike raved about the quality in Noelle Quinn’s team after the addition of veterans Alysha Clark, Erica Wheeler, Li Yueru, and 19-year-old Dominique Malonga before the start of the 2025 season.
She pointed out that the team’s unity and bond have helped the Storm overcome hurdles in the first quarter of the season.
The Seattle Storm have an 11-7 record with Ogwumike leading the team's stats in rebounds with an average 7.8 per game while Skylar Diggins tops in points and assists with 18.5 points and 5.9 assists, respectively.
“I think my team is doing well. We kind of have some people who have returned - from the Eurobasket and some newcomers,” Oguwmike continued.
“And we've also been connected in different ways. So I'm grateful that we've been able to put together what we want in the first quarter of the season and we have performed well in some good games coming into the second quarter of the season.”
WNBA on The Right Trajectory With Expansion Plan
This year, the Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion team in the WNBA since 2008 and they have made a good start to their maiden campaign, sitting in the sixth spot with a with a 7-6 record.
Ogwumike, who is currently President of the WNBA Players Association (WNPA), started her WNBA career as the first overall pick with the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2012 Draft and she described the expansion as a testament to the progressive development of the women's basketball game in the United States.
Earlier in the week, the WNBA announced that the league will be expanded to 18 teams with teams from Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) set to join, while teams in Toronto and Oregon will join from the 2026 season.
“I think anybody who's a part of the WNBA, who's a fan of the WNBA wants to see expansion,” she said.
“I'm grateful to see it grow. I'm grateful to be a part of it as it is growing and here is to more expansion.
“We're going to have more teams next year, too.”
