Nneka Ogwumike’s homecoming was revered by the fans in Los Angeles. The 2012 Rookie Of The Year with the Sparks returned to the franchise after two years with the Seattle Storm. And she returned to take this exciting but developing team to the next level. Almost immediately after arriving to the fold, she solidified her legacy with the team by breaking a record once held by the legendary Lisa Leslie. 

Nneka Ogwumike did not have the best start to her injury return as she suffered a minor finger injury after playing five games. However, a 6-day gap to the next game meant that Ogwumike was able to return without missing any more. And the Sparks legend came back with a bang, breaking one of the franchise’s all-time records. 

With 2331 field goals, Ogwumike came into this game as second on the Sparks’ all-time list of field goals. She was only one behind, with Lisa Leslie standing at 2332. At her 2nd field goal of the day against the Washington Mystics, she surpassed the Sparks and WNBA legend to take the throne in LA drawing a reaction from the WNBA. “History 🚨 Nneka Ogwumike now leads the @LASparks for most field goal makes in franchise history!” The WNBA wrote. 

Ogwumike has also been more efficient than Leslie. She has achieved this in 692 fewer field goal attempts than Leslie, making it even more significant. Ogwumike stands second in 2-point field goals, minutes, offensive rebounds and free throws as well.

If she remains fit and in the same form, Ogwumike can become the leader for the Sparks in most of the major records. Ogwumike also surpassed Tamika Catchings for fifth place on the all-time scoring list earlier in the season. Also, on Friday, Ogwumike ended the night with 11 boards, further surpassing Lisa Leslie for 6th in career rebounds, with a total of 3,312 boards to her name.

This swath of records just signifies how important her Sparks return is. She is a franchise legend here and led the team to the title back in 2016 while winning the MVP. The franchise hopes they can repeat that feat soon by pairing the experience of Ogwumike and the youth of their team.

Last year, the team was exciting and competed for a place in the playoffs. But they faltered in the final few games. It was partly attributed to their lack of experience. Now, Ogwumike needs to step up, especially with Kelsey Plum out.

Nneka Ogwumike’s Importance At Sparks Spikes After Kelsey Plum Injury

Kelsey Plum was absolutely balling for the Sparks to start the season. She was averaging 26.8 points and 6.3 assists while dropping 30-point performances against her former team, Las Vegas Aces. Unfortunately, Plum injured her left ankle and is ruled out for least a week. While Lynne Roberts has emphasized that “there’s nothing to be fearful of,” the Sparks’ season hangs by that thread. Meanwhile, their team will be tested on the court with Nneka Ogwumike’s leadership being pivotal in Pum’s absence. 

 Plum as an offensive weapon was indispensable, leading the team in points and assists. Ogwumike has averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds while missing one game. But, she is not expected to compensate for Plum’s absence. 

“KP is a huge part of what we do. We came in together, and she’s been the head of the snake,” Lynne Roberts said ahead of the Mystics game.  “One person isn’t going to produce everything that KP does. It has to be by committee. Everyone has to dig in. The one area it could impact is short shot-clock situations. KP can spoil you because she’s able to go get a great shot. We have to be intentional there. I don’t think our pace, style, or anything we do changes, either defensively or offensively.”

Nevertheless, leadership of Nneka Ogwumike will be important in rallying the team during this time. They have Ariel Atkins, Dearica Hamby and Erica Wheeler as veterans, but there are few in this league with the stature of Ogwumike. And how the Sparks respond to this problem could also show if they can really take it up a notch this season. Their depth is being tested and if they want to challenge for the playoffs, the Sparks would want to come out of this period in good form.