The Los Angeles Sparks have a new all-time leading scorer in franchise history. Say hello to Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria “Nneka” Ogwumike.
Ogwumike passed Lisa Leslie on the Sparks’ all-time scoring list during the game against the Chicago Sky on July 17.
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Ogwumike leaped Leslie when she scored her 6,264th point on a driving pull-up jumper just inside the free throw line, from about 8 feet out, over Sky center Azura Stevens.
“I have been the first to set over 10 WNBA records and countless LA Sparks records! I have always known that records are meant to be broken, but I can’t be more proud when a player and person like Madame President Nneka Ogwumike breaks my records! Continue to carry the crown proudly Nneka! You earned it!,” Leslie said about Ogwumike’s milestone.
Ogwumike was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, selected by the Sparks. She shortly thereafter signed a sneaker deal with Nike.
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She played 11 seasons in LA before signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Storm in 2024. She re-signed with the Storm the following season before finding her way back to Los Angeles, rejoining the team that drafted her out of Stanford.
Ogwumike helped lead the Sparks to a WNBA championship in 2016, the same year she earned league MVP honors. Ogwumike has put together one of the most accomplished careers through 15 WNBA seasons. She was named one of the WNBA’s greatest 25 players of all-time and will be a future Hall of Famer.
Ogwumike tied Leslie in a 96-87 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on July 15.
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The Sparks trailed at halftime against the Sky, 49-36. They got a 12-point, 7-rebound first half performance from Ogwumike. She added a steal and a pair of assists. Ogwumike was shooting 5-of-7 on field goals and 2-for-2 on 3-point shots.
She opened the second half with another bucket, giving her 14 points overall on 6-for-8 shooting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Nneka Ogwumike becomes Sparks’ all-time leading scorer, passing Lisa Leslie
