Eleven-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike will retire following the conclusion of the 2026 WNBA season, she announced Wednesday.
"I've learned there's power in knowing when to walk away," Ogwumike said in an interview with Boardroom. "For so long, that strength meant finding a way to keep pushing. Now, it means recognizing when you feel complete. I find myself grateful, fulfilled, and at peace with everything this game has given me and everything I've poured into it."
Ogwumike was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 by the Los Angeles Sparks. Fifteen years later, she'll end her professional career as an MVP winner in 2016, an eight-time All-WNBA selection and 11-time All-Star -- which is tied for the second most in league history.
"Her extraordinary career has been defined not only by excellence, but by the way she has led and lifted those around her," WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert said in a statement. "She is a champion and MVP, one of the most accomplished players of all time, and a fierce competitor who has represented the very best our game has to offer."
The 36-year-old Ogwumike spent the first 12 years of her career with the Sparks, before a one-year stint with the Seattle Storm last season. She returned to the Sparks this year to finish her career with in Los Angeles. Ogwumike is the franchise's all-time leader in scoring, field goals made, steals and double-doubles.
Off the court, Ogwumike has served as the WNBPA president since 2016 and has helped lead the negotiations for two separate collective bargaining agreements, including the transformative deal put in place before this season which secured the single largest salary increase for WNBA players from one CBA to the next in all professional sports. It also expanded benefits, player protections and resources for active and retired players in the league.
"Nneka Ogwumike's impact on this union, and on the women's game, cannot be overstated," WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson said in a statement. "Her leadership has been extraordinary. She has served this union with a level of commitment, courage, integrity, and purpose that is truly unparalleled. As President for the last decade, Nneka understood that leadership was not simply about having a seat at the table; it was about using that seat to move the game and the business of the game forward for every player -- today and for generations to come."
In June, Ogwumike was re-elected for her fourth term as president. It's unclear who will succeed her in that role after she retires.
The Sparks have nine games remaining on their regular-season schedule and are currently out of the race for the 8-seed and playoff contention. If Los Angeles fails to make the postseason, Ogwumike's final game will be played at home on Sept. 24 at Crypto.com Arena against the Golden State Valkyries.