The final game of the regular season for the Los Angeles Sparks ended up with head coach Lynne Roberts’ side blowing their lead in the final minutes and losing 76-75 to the Golden State Valkyries. That barely mattered once the final whistle was blown, as there was not a dry eye at Crypto.com Arena after Nneka Ogwumike’s retirement speech.

The 36-year-old sets off to the sunset after an illustrious 15-year career in the WNBA, and her speech matched that emotion to the fullest. Ogwumike thanked her family, who were in attendance for her special day, and went on to address her loyal fans.

“I wouldn’t go down any other way, which is competing hard here in LA against great competition. It’s such a privilege and an honor to be in this league, to be a woman in sports, and especially to wear the Sparks jersey,” Ogwumike said.

Ogwumike was always known as the player who gives it her all, and that was exactly the case in her final game. The 36-year-old went out with a bang, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds, along with five assists. But despite her performance and it being her final game, Ogwumike was still more focused on claiming the W.

“I’m still thinking about how I wish I could’ve left you guys with a win, but I do want you to know that I left my heart out here on the floor, and I’m really happy that I got to share a lot of this with my teammates. You guys really helped me through this season,” Ogwumike continued on ESPN’s YouTube channel.

Ogwumike’s 15-year legacy in the WNBA is not enough to be celebrated in one day. But still, to commemorate such a legendary career, the Sparks went all out on Thursday night, as every fan received an Ogwumike shirt. Signs were also provided, which read “Thank you Nneka!” on one side and “On her terms” on the other.

While it was certainly an emotional night for Ogwumike and her fans, she can look back on her complete career with pride. Ogwumike had the makings of a legend since her inception in the league. The 2012 No. 1 overall pick won Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 14 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

And in 2016, she established herself as one of the greats after winning the league MVP award and leading the Sparks to their third WNBA championship.

While Ogwumike’s career peaked a decade ago, she did not slow down one bit in her later years. In fact, she reached even greater heights as a player. She is now the player with the fourth-highest career points in the WNBA with 8,047, only behind the likes of Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and DeWanna Bonner.

Ogwumike cares less about her personal accolades and more about her surroundings, which is also why she became one of the best WNBPA presidents in history, leading the players’ union to a historic CBA this season as well. And the conclusion of her speech had a similar sentiment, as she told the crowd to never stop supporting the growth of women’s basketball.

“We cannot ignore the needs of the majority for the noise of the minority,” she added. “So keep supporting the W. Keep supporting the Sparks. Every little thing that you do, it helps women’s basketball grow. Don’t think that you can’t be a part of this because you all are the reason why we are able to stay here, play this game, play our worth, and continue to change history.”

While the rest of the Sparks were unable to match Ogwumike’s level of effort this season, it was still a pleasant homecoming for Ogwumike, who spent the last two seasons with the Seattle Storm.

“So, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Um, this is goodbye. Not forever, but I’m always going to be your LA Spark. So, I love you guys. Thank you.” Ogwumike concluded her emotional speech.

While her journey in the WNBA is now complete, Nneka Ogwumike will still play basketball, as she is part of the new women’s basketball league Project B set to launch in the coming months.