Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike: Not one but two bold ballers

Women’s basketball icons Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike are used to the sister act narrative, and the public’s impulse to twin them as a single entity. (At a recent photo shoot, the two, laughing, anticipated the familiar request to be photographed back-to-back, “the sister special.”) For years, the two dominated the boards, first at Stanford, then on separate teams in the WNBA until they were reunited for several seasons on the Sparks.

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But the two have forged separate and distinct roles off the court; older sister Nneka, 33, as president of the WNBA players union and Chiney, 32, as a basketball analyst and host on ESPN. Individually, the two have become leading voices for women in sports and social justice advocacy.

In her three terms as WNBPA president, Nneka has steered the union through some of the league’s most significant and challenging times, including the pandemic-induced “Wubble” season in 2020, in which the players’ advocacy for social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement became a totem for their male NBA counterparts to emulate. A new collective bargaining agreement signed earlier that year increased player salaries and expanded other protections such as maternity benefits. In 2022, Nneka and other WNBA players were essential voices in pushing for Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian prison. Next, she’ll lead players through the league’s expansion to 14 teams and a TV rights deal that could catapult the WNBA to a more lucrative financial future.

Nneka Ogwumike has had a vast impact on the WNBA as a top player and union leader.

“I love that I’ve seen so much change from when I entered the league,” Nneka said. “We’re dispelling the idea that people don’t want anything to do with women’s sports.”

Chiney is the first Black woman to co-host a nationally syndicated ESPN radio show and regularly appears on “NBA Today,” “SportsCenter” and “First Take.” Her schedule has become so packed that last fall, she was interviewing for an assistant.

Chiney Ogwumike plays a prominent role in ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA and champions supporting women’s sports.

In October, Chiney was sworn in to the White House’s first advisory council on African diaspora engagement in the United States as the 12-person panel’s youngest female member. Both sisters, who are Nigerian American, have long been involved in international aid and advocacy work in Nigeria.

“My representation matters more than just bouncing a ball and putting the ball in a basket,” Chiney said. “Everything that I’m passionate about is tied to my identity. And everything that I do speaks to representation and showing women that we are very powerful.”