Ogwumike, a Stanford graduate who has led the union since 2016, has proven herself as a trusted leader ready to meet this moment. An agreement could set the WNBA on a path to prosperity for the next decade or more. An impasse could result in a work stoppage that thwarts the WNBA\u2019s momentum and does lasting damage to the brand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The league\u2019s current collective-bargaining agreement, which Ogwumike saw to the finish line back in 2020, has been extended twice this offseason and expired on Jan. 9. (The two sides continue to negotiate under a \u201cstatus quo\u201d period, thus far avoiding a lockout or strike.) Ogwumike is confident that the players\u2019 strategy\u2014bargaining from a position of strength\u2014will result in a fair deal. \u201cThe energy, the experience from a player’s perspective, it doesn’t feel like anything but upward and forward,\u201d she says. \u201cThere’s a level of leverage that comes with that in negotiating. Players understand their worth, they understand their value. That’s what we want. It\u2019s what we deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout her WNBA career, Ogwumike has recognized the value of her platform. About a decade ago, Nneka and her younger sister Chiney, an ESPN commentator and former WNBA player, partnered with UNICEF to raise education funds for girls in Nigeria. (The sisters are first-generation Nigerian Americans who grew up in the Houston area.) In her role as union president, she spearheaded player social activism in the 2020 WNBA bubble\u2014or \u201cwubble\u201d\u2014as the players dedicated their season to Breonna Taylor,<\/a> postponed games<\/a> after the shooting of Jacob Blake, and wore T-shirts encouraging people to vote for the Rev. Raphael Warnock in the Georgia U.S. Senate election. (Warnock defeated<\/a> incumbent Kelly Loeffler, then a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, in a runoff.) Ogwumike also took over the voting-rights organization More Than a Vote from LeBron James<\/a> before the 2024 presidential election.\u00a0<\/p>\n She credits her family background for her social consciousness. \u201cNigerian culture is very much about having loyalty and pride and a strong sense of community,\u201d says Ogwumike. \u201cHaving that kind of worldly perspective allowed me to understand there’s a lot of things happening outside of what I can see right in front of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n