Ogwumike re-signs, reunited with Miller
LOS ANGELES >> The Sparks have re-signed two-time WNBA All-Star forward Chiney Ogwumike, the team announced Wednesday.
Ogwumike, who was an unrestricted free agent, is entering her seventh season in the WNBA and fourth season with the Sparks, and has been reunited with her former Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller.
“I am so happy to resign with the Sparks,” Ogwumike said in a statement. “The past two seasons here have been the hardest of my basketball career, but I am motivated and inspired for this season to mark a new chapter for the Sparks and me. Reuniting with Curt, the coach that helped me be an All-Star in 2018, who knows my fight and journey on the court, means the world to me. In a short amount of time, (General Manager Karen Bryant) and Eric have truly become family, and I appreciate all that they are doing for the Sparks organization to be great. I don't take for granted the opportunity to wear the purple and gold and will leave it all on the court this season.”
The Sparks traded for Ogwumike back in 2019 from Connecticut in exchange for the team's 2020 first-round draft pick. The acquisition allowed Ogwumike to play with her older sister, 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, and work for ESPN in Los Angeles. Nneka Ogwumike is also an unrestricted free agent who has yet to resign but is expected to, according to team officials.
Meanwhile, Ogwumike recently signed a contract extension with ESPN, and currently serves as a cohost on “NBA Today” with Malika Andrews, which airs daily, and she's also a full-time analyst on NBA Countdown's Wednesday show alongside Andrews, Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins.
On the court, Bryant said she's grateful for Ogwumike's leadership.
“Chiney is a key returning veteran for the Sparks,” Bryant said. “We are grateful to have her continued leadership and frontcourt presence on our team.”
Over her career, she has averaged 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game in 160 games with Connecticut and the Sparks. During the 2022 season with the Sparks, she played in 26 games (seven starts) and averaged 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.4 minutes.
Ogwumike was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun out of Stanford University. That season she made her first AllStar appearance and won Rookie of the Year by averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks.
During her time in Connecticut with Miller, she averaged 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 64 games. During her final season in Connecticut in 2018, she shot a careerbest 60.3% from the field, averaging 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds before being selected to play in her second career All-Star Game.
“I am excited to be reunited with Chiney here in Los Angeles,” Miller said. “Chiney is a highly productive and efficient player who also fits the culture that we want to establish in the locker room. She plays with a great motor and will provide valued energy to our team. Her offensive efficiency and defensive versatility will help us on both ends of the floor.”
The move is the biggest of several signings this week. On Tuesday, the Sparks announced that guard Karlie Samuelson and forward Reshanda Gray had signed training camp contracts. Samuelson is from Orange County and Gray grew up in Los Angeles.
Samuelson has been playing in Australia, shooting 55.3% from the floor, 48.1% from 3-point range and 94.4% from the freethrow line for the firstplace Townsville Fire.
“Playing at home is always a dream and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a historic team in the WNBA,” Samuelson said. “I'm looking forward to training camp.”
Gray has played six WNBA seasons, mostly as a reserve. Last year she played for Seattle and Phoenix.
“From growing up in South Central, L.A., to rocking the purple and gold again, there's no greater feeling,” Gray said. “I'm so blessed with the opportunity to play in front of an amazing fanbase and a city I love so much. I'm so happy to be back home! Let's go!”
The Kings may have fallen flat in the Twin Cities but now they'll have a bite at each of the Big Apple's three NHL franchises, beginning with a back-to-back set against the New Jersey Devils tonight and New York Islanders on Friday before facing the New York Rangers on Sunday.
The Kings had earned points in eight of their previous nine contests and scored four goals or more in seven of their past eight games before stumbling 2-1 in regulation to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The Kings out-shot the Wild 34-20 but still came up short, with Minnesota even having an early score disallowed.
They'll face a team with tremendous escapability and two-way capability in New Jersey, then another that's been strong defensively this season on Long Island. The Devils have been top five in terms of goals-against per game and top 10 in terms of goals for, while the Islanders have leaned heavily on their gritty defense and strong penalty kill.
Captain Anze Kopitar scored the Kings' solitary
Defenseman Jamie Drysdale suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at Vegas in the opening weeks of the season. Center Isac Lundestrom fractured his finger in Dallas in December, and forward Derek Grant suffered a lower-body injury in the next game on the trip in St. Paul, Minn.
More recently, the Ducks' best player Troy Terry was put on injured reserve, having suffered an upper-body injury in Dallas on Feb. 6. Terry has 42 points in 51 games, six points behind leading scorer Trevor Zegras.
This isn't a complete list, but you get the idea ... the road has been one injuryriddled path of potholes for the Ducks.
The theme continued on the road with a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Defenseman John Klingberg (lower-body injury) was a late scratch against the Lightning, and the Ducks' third-leading scorer Adam