Nneka Ogwumike, the WNBPA President, just crossed a WNBA legend with a career milestone of 710 steals, but it comes at the twilight of her career. While the Los Angeles Sparks are out of playoff contention, their star forward is still making records. As the franchise loses Ogwumike, she still gave LA fans something to cheer about as the Sparks go without a playoff appearance for six years now.

AllThingsWNBA posted on X celebrating Nneka Ogwumike’s achievement as the LA Sparks defeated the Mystics 88-82 to achieve their 14th win of the season. At 710 steals, Ogwumike is now fourth on the WNBA’s all-time steals list, passing Alana Beard, who was at 709. Ogwumike is now only behind Sue Bird (724 steals), Ticha Penicheiro (764 steals), and Tamika Catchings (1,074 steals).

As she announced earlier this year, the 2026 season will be her last season as an active player, and she is not slowing down for her last active season. Ogwumike also equaled Diana Taurasi for the most All-Star selections in league history, with 11, the second-highest in league history.

Her consistency across 15 years in the league is unparalleled. Ogwumike is the only player in WNBA history to average 15+ points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 50% or more from the field, 35% from beyond the arc, and 80% from the free-throw line, per USA Today. The veteran forward is also fourth on the list of all-time points scored by WNBA players, with 7,928. For context, Diana Taurasi still stands first, with an astounding 10,646.

In 473 career games, Nneka Ogwumike has averaged 16.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. She has also made it to the All-WNBA team eight times and WNBA All-Defense seven times. Ogwumike has been a familiar face in the league since she was drafted back in 2012 by the Sparks. She took the league by storm, winning the 2012 Rookie of the Year Award. Ogwumike remained with the Sparks for 12 seasons, even leading them to a championship in 2016 as that season’s MVP.

Even at the age of 37, she remains the Sparks’ primary two-way anchor, leading them in points and rebounds, averaging 16.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game this season. She has been the silver lining for the Sparks in a season marred by injuries and roster churn. The LA Sparks have struggled defensively all season and have the third-worst defensive rating in the league, at 111.6 per WNBA stats. With a 14-25 record, the Sparks have been long eliminated from playoff contention.

Injuries to key defensive players like Cameron Brink have also impacted the Sparks’ form, often compromising their interior defense and rim protection. Trading away Kelsey Plum, their leading scorer of the season, ended all hopes for the Sparks this season.

As Nneka Ogwumike’s storied career comes to an end after this season, there is no doubt that she is one of the greatest to walk the hardwood. She was also named one of the WNBA’s 25 Greatest Players of All-Time when the WNBA celebrated its 25th anniversary year in 2021.

While this season is all but over for the Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike still sees hope in the franchise’s future, as new plans to make a title charge emerge.

Nneka Remains Hopeful for the Sparks’ Future As They Invest In a New Training Facility

The Sparks’ present may look uncertain. But that has not stopped them from investing heavily in their future, as they made a $150 million investment in a new training program.

The 55,000-square-foot facility will serve as their headquarters and training facility in El Segundo, California. It reached a major construction milestone with a topping-out ceremony in August 2026.

During a ceremony to celebrate the facility, Nneka Ogwumike spoke about how the new facility would be beneficial to Sparks players.

“We can talk a lot about how important it is for a facility for players to be able to perform, and to recover, and to prepare, and to train. But I kind of want to talk a little bit more about how this building represents more than just a new facility, but that it is a home. It represents top investment in the everyday experience of Sparks players and an understanding of the resources required to maintain championship culture, which is something that I was drafted into.”

Ogwumike brought her immense wealth of experience to this process and remained grateful for the Sparks management’s decision to involve players like her in this process, as she later said at the construction site.

“Oh, I’m even grateful just to be a part of the process, you know, especially having player input is so incredibly important and a lot of times,” Ogwumike said while speaking to the media at the construction site.

“You know, when investment is made in women’s sports, sometimes we don’t necessarily get to be a part of the process, but they’ve made us a part of the process the whole way. And I think that shows the true sustainability of investment over over a lot over a long period of time.”

The Sparks will certainly hope that the new facility will help them turn things around in the next few years. Having a modern dedicated training facility will make the Sparks a more attractive team for incoming draft prospects and even free agents. All of this is to build towards a more successful 2027 season.

Nneka Ogwumike will play the final game in front of the home crowd on September 24, against the Valkyries.