Nneka Ogwumike hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Los Angeles Sparks to a 98-97 win over the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, a matchup staged to celebrate the WNBA’s 29th anniversary. Sparks coach Lynne Roberts hailed th
When the clock hit zero, Nneka Ogwumike didn’t flinch—she fired, found the bottom of the net, and handed the Los Angeles Sparks a 98-97 win over the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
Erica Wheeler delivered the pass under pressure, and Ogwumike made sure it turned into a moment that will follow her long after the final buzzer. The 35-year-old was, in her coach’s words, someone no one else in the Sparks’ locker room would have chosen for that last shot.
The game carried extra history. It marked the 29th anniversary of the WNBA’s inaugural game. with Lisa Leslie and Kym Hampton invited to recreate the league’s first-ever tipoff. But once the standings were on the line and the ball was in Ogwumike’s hands. the night belonged to the one name everyone wanted to hear called in clutch moments.
After the final play, Sparks coach Lynne Roberts didn’t hold back. In a video shared by sports reporter Justin Russo. Roberts said. “I think everyone in our locker room wouldn’t have picked another person to hit that shot. What she’s done for this league. she’s one of one. ” adding. “That’s what sports can do. bring out those moments. But just you couldn’t have scripted it any better.” She later described the game-winning shot as “remarkable.”.
Ogwumike backed up the praise with the kind of all-around production that makes a late bucket feel inevitable. She finished with a game-high 24 points along with six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Her shooting was crisp—11 of 18 from the field—and she knocked down 2 of 4 from long range. The timing mattered. too: both of her three-pointers came in the final 1:30 of the game. including the decisive trey at the end.
The Sparks moved to 8-8, while the Liberty fell to 11-6.
Roberts also tied the evening’s drama to Ogwumike’s off-court impact. She tipped her hat to the one-time MVP for leading the players’ fight for a new labor deal with the WNBA. Ogwumike. who returned to Los Angeles in the offseason after spending two years with the Seattle Storm. has now added another signature finish to her growing highlight reel—one built on both elite timing and the kind of leadership that shows up when the league’s bigger battles are happening. too.
She was drafted by the Sparks as the No. 1 pick in 2012, and Sunday’s late-game burst was another reminder of why the franchise keeps looking to her in moments when answers are supposed to be impossible.
WNBA Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Nneka Ogwumike Lynne Roberts Erica Wheeler game-winning three-pointer Crypto.com Arena