Nneka Ogwumike just capped off a historic night in the WNBA’s history. Ogwumike downed a buzzer-beater three-pointer to land a victory for the Sparks against the red-hot New York Liberty. And it came on the eve of the WNBA’s 30th anniversary night.

Before the match, Ogwumike, being her usual calm, humble self, reflected on the quality of players from the recent draft classes. She was particularly impressed by talents like Angel Reese and her teammate Cameron Brink.

“Oh man, two of my favorite Gillies on you, know. I just feel like they are. They are such. There’s such lights in the room, both on and off the court. There’s a tenacity that they both have that I don’t ever want them to dim,”… she said to the media.

“And I’m very, very grateful to even be a small part in whatever it is in their career. Granted, I only get to play against Angel, but I’m so happy that I get to play with Cam, and that confidence is incredibly contagious, and they are two players that don’t pay attention to the doubters and go out and do exactly what they can do, which is Dominate,” she added.

Clearly, Nneka Ogwumike is a big fan of both of them. And she has reasons to be impressed. Her teammate Cameron Brink has emerged as the primary defensive anchor of the Sparks team. She is currently ranked 5th in the league in blocks per game (1.5). When fully fit and functioning, she has proven herself to be an elite defender.

And Angel Reese has just become the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1000 rebounds. She has done this in only 79 games. She was also the fastest to reach the 500 points & 500 rebounds mark, doing so in just 38 games. This season, she also tied Blake Griffin to reach 57 career double-doubles in the first 75 games. This makes her only the second in the entire NBA and WNBA history combined to achieve the feat.

So both Brink and Reese have given the 10-time All-Star to remain cheerful and excited for the league’s future. It’s something that’s apparently very important to her. Being a veteran with so many accomplishments, she considers herself, and rightly so, a role model for the young rookies.

“Once you figure out how to accentuate your worth… it’s our job to leave that door open. Once you walk through a door, you shouldn’t close it. Leave it open for any other woman who comes through, as we have a duty to ensure that they also progress,” she has said as per Popsugar.

While the Sparks are still trying to find their rhythm in the league this season, it’s safe to say that the franchise is still relying on Ogwumike’s veteran experience carrying them on her back.

Ogwumike is Carrying the Sparks on Her Back

The 35-year-old is far from being done. While Kelsey Plum is obviously the star and scoring leader of this Sparks team, Ogwumike is the glue that is holding them together.

Her two-way contributions on the court have been instrumental in the Sparks 9-8 record for the season till now. The Sparks are very frail defensively (defensive rating of 112.3, the second worst in the league, as per Statmuse), and it is Ogwumike who has carried the additional burden.

She is averaging 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. She leads the Sparks in rebounding and is only second in scoring, behind Plum. Just a few days earlier, Ogwumike surpassed Tamika Catchings to become 4th in the WNBA all-time scoring leaderboard.

Let’s hope that the Sparks can relieve some of the burden on her going forward in the season. For now, she is enjoying the rookies taking the mantle forward.