11-time WNBA All-Star and WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike has announced she will retire from the WNBA at the end of the 2026 season. The 36-year-old forward informed the Seattle Storm on Thursday morning that she will not be returning for the 2027 season.
Ogwumike was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She has played for the Sparks, the Storm, and played overseas in Turkey and Italy. She was named league MVP in 2016 and was a key player on the Sparks’ 2016 championship team. She is a six-time All-WNBA selection, was named to the WNBA’s 25th and 30th Anniversary teams, and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2020 and 2024).
Beyond her on-court achievements, Ogwumike has been a trailblazer for players’ rights as president of the WNBA Players Association, helping secure landmark changes to the league’s collective bargaining agreement. She was also a key figure in the movement that helped free WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony.
Though she is retiring from the WNBA after the 2026 season, Ogwumike says she still plans to play her final season with global league Project B next year. The league, which launched earlier this year, allows players to compete in a global basketball league after their WNBA season ends.
