Nneka Ogwumike added another page to a Hall of Fame highlight reel Sunday, and she did it with the clock at zero. The Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty 98-97 at Crypto.com Arena, and Ogwumike’s step-back three as time expired sent the crowd home happy.
Erica Wheeler found her in traffic, and Ogwumike didn’t hesitate. She caught, turned and let it fly. Nothing but net. It was the kind of shot that makes you forget the other 39 minutes of basketball happened.
The game was already a big deal. The WNBA celebrated the 29th anniversary of the league’s first tipoff, with Lisa Leslie and Kym Hampton recreating that ceremonial jump ball. It was nostalgic and fun. But Ogwumike turned it into a moment that belonged entirely to her.
She finished with 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. She shot 11-of-18 from the field and hit two threes in the final 90 seconds. The second one won the game.
Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts didn’t hold back afterward.
“I think everyone in our locker room wouldn’t have picked another person to hit that shot,” Roberts said in a video shared by reporter Justin Russo. “What she’s done for this league, she’s one of one. That’s what sports can do, bring out those moments. But just you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
Roberts called it remarkable
She also pointed to Ogwumike’s legacy beyond the box score. The 35-year-old forward has been a leader in the players’ fight for a new labor deal with the WNBA. Roberts tipped her cap to that too.
Ogwumike came back to Los Angeles this season after two years in Seattle. The Sparks drafted her first overall in 2012, and she won MVP in 2016. But she’s never been just about the numbers. Her teammates trust her in the tightest spots, and Sunday was proof.
The win moved the Sparks to 8-8. The Liberty dropped to 11-6. It’s still June, but games like this one stick with you. Especially when someone like Ogwumike is the one holding the ball at the end.
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