There’s valuable and then there’s most valuable, and for the 2016 WNBA season, it was the Los Angeles Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. It is her first MVP award.
Ogwumike finished first in the MVP voting, ahead of the New York Liberty’s Tina Charles, the Minnesota Lynx’s Maya Moore, and the Chicago Sky’s Elena Delle Donne. She now adds this award to her already extensive WNBA resume, which includes three All-Star appearances and the 2012 Rookie of the Year Award.
She has been one of the biggest reasons why this season has been a banner year for the Sparks. Los Angeles won its first 11 games of the season and finished 26-8 for the regular season, earning them the second seed in this year’s playoffs. The Sparks also finished the year with a 14-3 mark at home.
Ogwumike had a field goal percentage of 66.5 for tops in the WNBA and averaged 19.7 points per game—third in the league only behind Charles and Delle Donne (21.5 each). Her 9.1 rebounds a game also put her at third in the WNBA. Ogwumike also finished in the top ten in blocked shots, averaging just over one per contest as well as in the top ten in minutes played.
She talked with ESPN about being named the league’s Most Valuable Player and described her emotions as being both “stunned” and “excited,” but that she was especially proud of her team as a whole.
I think that this award is reflective of how hard that we’ve worked this year and what is yet to come in the future.
–Nneka Ogwumike to ESPN
The @WNBA MVP is @Nnemkadi30! An inspirational story of hard work & mental toughness! A selfless player & wonderful person, congrats Nneka!
— LaChina Robinson (@LaChinaRobinson) September 27, 2016
Congrats to @LA_Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike for being named the 2016 WNBA MVP.
— Kelsey Nicole Nelson (@therealknelson) September 27, 2016
Congrats to @Nnemkadi30 on her #WNBAMVP award…very well deserved!! ??????
— Ticha Penicheiro (@TichaPenicheiro) September 28, 2016
So many blessings as a coach-none greater than blessing of coaching #WNBAMVP @Nnemkadi30 Couldn’t be more proud if it were my own daughter
— Kate Paye (@KatePaye) September 28, 2016
Congratulations @Nnemkadi30 on being named the 2016 @WNBA Most Valuable Player! #GoSparks #WNBAMVP
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 27, 2016
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
