Nneka Ogwumike‘s time in Seattle has come to an end after two seasons.
Ogwumike confirmed her departure from the Seattle Storm on April 9 as 2026 WNBA free agency stretched into its fourth day. The 14-year veteran shared a social media post that read, “Thank You Seattle.” Ogwumike captioned the photo collage filled with memories of her time in Seattle with green and yellow hearts.
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Ogwumike’s search for a new team captured headlines earlier this week after a Minnesota-based balloon company shared a now-deleted video of a blue and green balloon garland and marquee letters that read, “Welcome Nneka.” The arrangement was assembled on a basketball court featuring the Lynx’s logo, leaving many fans wondering if Ogwumike was signing with the Minnesota Lynx in free agency.
Ogwumike shared a carousel of memes on Instagram in response to the video and speculation, including a viral video of a person crying with the caption, “Me (because) I can’t travel in peace.”
Last week, Ogwumike told USA TODAY Sports that she’s relying on her instincts during the compacted WNBA offseason after helping the WNBPA negotiate a transformational collective bargaining agreement last month.
“I’m grateful that I am a veteran because I’ve seen a lot of different things happen in this league. I’ve experienced a lot of different things and so there’s a level of discernment that I have that is hopefully not going to add more stress to what already is a very hectic time,” Ogwumike said. “I just really hope that everybody feels a little bit better given the agreement that we’ve been able to draft and they can make the best decisions for themselves.”
Ogwumike signed with the Storm in 2024 following 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks and instantly revitalized the franchise. The Storm improved from an 11-29 record in 2023 to 25-15 in 2024 and 23-21 in 2025. The Storm advanced to the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 before making back-to-back first-round exits. Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn was fired following the Storm’s latest playoff exit in 2025.
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In her 14th season in the league, Ogwumike averaged 18.3 points (ninth in the league), 7.0 rebounds (13th) and 2.3 assists shooting 51.2% from the field in all 44 games for the Storm. Ogwumike was named an All-Star starter for the fourth consecutive season last year, joining Sue Bird (13), Diana Taurasi (11), Tamika Catchings (10) and Brittney Griner (10) as the only players in WNBA history to receive 10 All-Star nods.
Ogwumike’s lengthy resume also includes No. 1 overall draft pick, Rookie of the Year, WNBA champion and MVP, in addition to an All-WNBA First-Team, seven All-WNBA second teams and four WNBA All-Defensive first teams.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nneka Ogwumike confirms Seattle Storm departure with social media post
