The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Sun star Ogwumike living a dream
UNCASVILLE — Former WNBA Rookie of the Year Chiney Ogwumike is not an easy person to define but trail blazer, multi-tasker, basketball phenom would certainly be a good place to start.
Two different serious injuries robbed the Connecticut Sun star forward of two full seasons but even when her body might have been betraying her, there was nothing slowing down her desire to make an impact both on the court and off.
Dabbling with stints as a broadcaster during her two lost seasons would ultimately result in Ogwumike given the opportunity of a lifetime, as she will split her time suiting up for the Connecticut Sun while being a fulltime employee at ESPN as a NBA analyst.
“These injuries, I was here in Connecticut. I learned at a young age to be a ‘yes woman’ because these opportunities don’t come to everyone and they don’t come often,” Ogwumike said. “As these opportunities kept building, (I) kept saying yes and working hard the same way I attack every practice, every game, is the way I attack that same opportunity and the rest happened.”
What happened is that ESPN wants to continue to expand Ogwumike’s role at the network whether it is as an anchor or a basketball analyst, where her energy and expertise can be put to good use.
“To be a female athlete that they are giving time and speaking on the NBA, that is something you don’t say no to so I was willing to grind for six months and it was really nice to be rewarded with a full time position,” Ogwumike said. “It is cool to have an athlete in the game talking about the game. The disadvantages of that is that I won’t be available as much (during
the WNBA season) but I am somebody who has played with the best of the best in basketball and know a lot of the top players in the NBA. They are investing in that which is awesome and also showing that athletes have a voice and women have a voice.”
This has been an interesting offseason in the WNBA with all-star guard Lindsay Whalen accepting the University of Minnesota women’s basketball coaching gig while still playing professionally followed by Ogwumike’s major announcement.
“This league is filled with amazing, amazing women that frankly we don’t cover enough after the ball stops bouncing,” Connecticut Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller said. “This just puts into perspective that these guys will retire at a young age and what is life after the WNBA? You are seeing that there are unbelievable opportunities with these talented women after they walk away from the game. Lindsay is going to be a fantastic coach and Chiney is blazing the trial to have an unbelievable career in sports.”
Ogwumike missed the 2017 season after tearing her Achilles tendon playing overseas. As a result, she has been working for hours each day first to rehabilitate the injury and get ready for her return to the basketball court. She worked with two different trainers for a couple hours each day and then would drive to Mohegan Sun Arena to get some additional shots up.
For anybody who thinks that her ESPN job will diminish the competitive fire she has to thrive
on the basketball court could be in for a rude awakening.
“I love being a hooper,” Ogwumike said. “I love using my voice, I love being African and everything I am passionate about tells me a little about who I am. I don’t know what the titles are, broadcaster/hooper, I am just me. I want to win championships. I always said that if we win a championship, I am going to trapeze down the side of Mohegan.”