Nneka Ogwumike will retire as a legend. Here’s why
Callie Fin of USA TODAY’s Studio IX explains the importance of Nneka Ogwumike’s impact on and off the court in light of her retirement news — with a full slideshow presentation.
Angel Reese, not far removed from missing two close-range buckets in a loss she said kept her up at night, recorded a historically flawless performance in the Atlanta Dream’s 124-88 win over the Los Angels Sparks on Thursday.
Reese went 9-for-9 from the field with two 3-pointers in the victory, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. She’s just the third player in WNBA history with a 20-point double-double on 100% shooting.
She also had three offensive rebounds in the first half to break her own WNBA season record of 172 from 2024.
It was Reese’s WNBA-leading 25th double-double of the season. With eight games left in Atlanta’s regular-season schedule, she needs four more such performances to beat Alyssa Thomas’ single-season record of 28 double-doubles, set in 2023.
There’s more to add to the résumé for Reese, who also set a Dream franchise-high mark on Thursday for field goals without a miss.
“I was just in the mode. When you see the ball go through the net, you just continue to shoot it. I think the defense really led to the offense, and we got a lot of deflections,” Reese told reporters. “So, I kind of knew what kind of game it was going to be from the first steal I got, and just continuing to fight through.”
The perfect night comes after the disappointment of losing Sunday’s overtime matchup against the Indiana Fever, which saw Reese miss two late layups that could have won the game in regulation.
“I didn’t sleep. The competitor in me wanted to win that game so bad,” Reese said Tuesday night. “I replayed that play so many times.”
Atlanta has responded with back-to-back wins, including Tuesday’s victory over the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
Reese has combined for 41 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists over those two games.
“She’s had two excellent games since then,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said of Reese’s play since Sunday. “Today was just outstanding, and hopefully it’s just something to build on from here.”
The last player to record a 20-point double-double without missing a single shot was Los Angeles Sparks center Nneka Ogwumike, 10 years ago. Ogwumike had 32 points and 10 rebounds when she did it, in a win over the Dallas Wings on June 11, 2016.
A WNBA champion, league MVP, All-Star and president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, Ogwumike announced on Wednesday that she’ll be retiring at the end of the season.
It gave the performance extra meaning for Reese, who joined Sports on Prime’s broadcast after Thursday’s win and spoke about her admiration for Ogwumike.
“It means a lot, I mean Nneka has poured into me since I’ve been in the league. She’s done so much for us, being able to be the president and being able to pour into the next generation,” Reese said. “A lot of things that we have right now is because of her. She was one of the people that built this house here in LA and being able to see her legacy continue 15 years — a very long time. To see how flawless she continues to be day in and day out, I’m really proud.”
Angel Reese stats vs. Sparks
- Points: 20
- FG: 9-for-9
- 3PT: 2-for-2
- Free Throws: 0-for-0
- Rebounds: 10
- Assists: 8
- Steals: 3
- Blocks: 0
- Turnovers: 5
- Fouls: 2
- Minutes: 30