Nneka led the Los Angeles Sparks to the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs. It’s the first MVP honor for the 6-foot-2 forward, who averaged a career-high 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks this season, her fifth in the WNBA. She ranked third in the regular season in scoring and rebounding.
She told ESPN: “As far as goals go, this honor has always been on a list I wrote down in the back of some journal years ago,” Ogwumike said. “Dreams don’t sprout overnight, and triumph doesn’t grow from trees. My 2016 season is a reflection of years of being a student of the game, hours of grueling practice, memories favorable and unfavorable, of great teammates and heartbreaking losses on the court.”
Ogwumike received 31 of 39 first-place votes and 362 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. New York’s Tina Charles received the other eight first-place votes and finished second with 267 points, followed by Minnesota’s Maya Moore (197 points), Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne (119 points) and Ogwumike’s Sparks teammate Candace Parker (30 points). Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.
Related
