It was quite an eventful game day for veterans across the WNBA, as they dominated the headlines on Sunday night. Los Angeles Sparks legend Nneka Ogwumike is doing everything she can before riding off into the sunset as she enters the league’s history books one more time following the game against the Portland Fire.

However, World Cup MVP Breanna Stewart is not slowing down either, as the 32-year-old’s performance against the Toronto Tempo extends her record. Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces had their usual night, as the Seattle Storm had no answer for the four-time MVP.

As we steadily approach the WNBA playoffs, let’s take a look at the final Sunday night of a chaotic regular season.

Nneka Ogwumike enters WNBA history as Lisa Leslie gets honored

It was a day of celebration at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, as Sparks legend Lisa Leslie was honored with the unveiling of her statue outside the arena and a halftime ceremony.

As we all know, the three-time WNBA MVP played a huge role for the Sparks from 1997 to 2007, winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. Leslie was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, and her stature as one of the greatest women’s basketball players in WNBA history has been richly celebrated since.

But over on the hardwood, another Sparks legend seems to be breaking records left and right this season, as Nneka Ogwumike is making the most of her final games with the Sparks. Head coach Lynne Roberts’ side beat the visiting Toronto Tempo 105-84, as Ogwumike scored 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.

With this stat line, Ogwumike has now become the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 8,000 points. The 2016 WNBA MVP now has 8,013 career points, as she joins Diana Taurasi (10,646), Tina Charles (8,396) and DeWanna Bonner (8,217). Moreover, Ogwumike has recorded 18 double-doubles, the most she’s had in a season.

Apart from Ogwumike, Rae Burrell scored 20 points as well, while Ariel Atkins and Chance Gray contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively. And in her first start since 2023, Emma Cannon recorded 10 points.

The game was evenly matched up until the first quarter, with the Sparks leading by just two points. However, the Sparks took control before the end of the first half, with the second quarter ending 32-15 in favor of the hosts. While the Fire tried to play catch-up in the second half, it was already too late.

However, the Fire showed some spirit, led by Cara Leite’s 23 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field. She also had three rebounds and five assists. Emily Engstler, Megan DiLeo, and Charisma Osborne recorded 10, 11, and 13 points, respectively.

Regardless, this was the Fire’s 27th loss of the season, as their rather forgettable season will conclude on Wednesday against the Golden State Valkyries, who are in full pursuit of finishing as the top seed in the regular season.

The Sparks now have two insanely difficult contests against the Las Vegas Aces and also the Valkyries to finish off their season. With Nneka Ogwumike out of the squad next time around, the 16-26 Sparks will be looking forward to a busy offseason.

Breanna Stewart passes another legend to secure Liberty victory

The New York Liberty are steadily narrowing the gap between them and the top half of the teams, and Breanna Stewart is at the scene of the crime once again. Expansion side Toronto Tempo had no answer for the Liberty, who convincingly beat them 106-69 away from home.

The Liberty’s hunt for home court in the opening round of the playoffs is led by Stewart, who recorded 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists against the Tempo. With this, Stewart reached another milestone, requiring only five minutes against the Tempo. The World Cup MVP moved into eighth place in the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Cappie Pondexter’s 6,811 points.

Before this game, Stewart scored 24 points against the Minnesota Lynx to surpass Sue Bird (6,803 points) on the all-time list. Stewart now has 6,833 points in her vault, and considering the season she is having, she might very well break Candace Dupree’s record of 6,895 points in the upcoming playoffs.

It has been quite a month for Stewart, who also won her fourth World Cup gold medal for Team USA along with her second MVP honor. Ahead of the game, Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello, who coached Stewart during her time at the Liberty, reflected on Stewart’s tournament and how she lifted herself to further heights when A’ja Wilson opted out due to injury concerns.

“One of my favourite players to ever coach in the whole wide world. Stewie, people have to see the work that she puts in to see her greatness, and a lot of the work is unseen,” Brondello told Zulfi Sheikh.

“I was so, so proud of her, what she did at the World Cup, because there was questions weren’t there, because A’ja wasn’t there. Stewie, I think she just rose, she reminded people how special she is, and how she can lead a team, and how she wasn’t gonna let that team lose. So, you know, obviously, very, very proud.” She added.

Apart from Stewart, three other Liberty players scored in double digits, headlined by reserve Rebecca Allen’s 14 points. Jonquel Jones and Pauline Astier recorded 11 and 10 points, respectively.

As for the Tempo, rookie sensation Kiki Rice scored 19 points, while Laura Juskaite showed fighting spirit after scoring a career-high 28 points. This was the 11-31 Tempo’s final home game, as they have now lost six in a row and 18 of 19 since a 93-91 road win over the Liberty on July 17.

Meanwhile, the Liberty will head home to Barclays Center for two very important games against Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream, which will determine their seed and whether or not Stewart and co. will receive home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

A’ja Wilson continues her MVP quest as Storm cannot keep up

The Las Vegas Aces star has now recorded her 12th 30-point game of the year, and 49th overall. She is only behind Diana Taurasi, who has 54 career 30-point games. Moreover, Wilson is the only WNBA player in history to have recorded multiple 1,000-point seasons.

The Aces have now won five games in a row after beating the Seattle Storm 98-77 at the Michelob ULTRA Arena on Sunday night. With two games remaining in the regular season, they cement their place at third.

While 16 of Wilson’s 30 points came from the charity stripe, she also recorded eight rebounds and four assists. World Cup final hero Jackie Young was at her usual best as well, scoring 23 points and providing eight assists. Chelsea Gray recorded 15 points, as the Aces’ Big 3 were the only players on head coach Becky Hammon’s side who crossed double digits in points.

The Aces started the game off with a bang, leading 29-18 at the end of the first quarter. While the Storm tried to retaliate with a 25-23 second quarter, it was clear that they were unable to keep up with the intensity of the Aces’ Big 3.

Talking about the 8-35 Seattle Storm, rookie Flau’jae Johnson and Dominique Malonga have been the only saving grace for head coach Sonia Raman this season, and that was also the case against the Aces.

Johnson scored a career-high 29 points to go with six rebounds, six assists, and four steals, while Dominique Malonga added 25 points and eight boards for the last-place team in the WNBA. Overall, the Aces outshot the Storm 50.8% to 39.4% and 45.5% to 29.4% in the second half.

Regardless, Johnson’s rookie season has been one of success. The former LSU star has become the first rookie in franchise history to score 500 points and make 50 three-pointers in a single season. With 559 total points, 51 total steals, and 28 total blocks, Johnson ranks second among all rookies this season. Only Lynx sensation Olivia Miles stands alone at the top with 790 points, as she is already an MVP frontrunner alongside Wilson.

Storm will play their final game of the season against the Dallas Wings, while the Aces will finish the regular season following games against the Sparks and the Phoenix Mercury, who are both out of playoff contention.

While the Lynx and the Valkyries are still in pursuit of the top seed, it seems like the Aces will be content with third place. Hammon and co. finished fourth in the standings last season, so it is clear that the reigning champions know their way around come the playoffs.