Chiney Ogwumike facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | March 21, 1992 Tomball, Texas, U.S. |
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| High school | Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Stanford (2010–2014) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Connecticut Sun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2014–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | Connecticut Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Famila Schio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Henan Phoenix | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019, 2021–2023 |
Los Angeles Sparks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chiney Ogwumike (born March 21, 1992) is an American professional basketball player. She last played for the Los Angeles Sparks in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Chiney is also a well-known sports broadcaster for ESPN.
In 2020, she made history by becoming the first Black woman and the first WNBA player to host a national radio show for ESPN. She was also one of the youngest people to become an NBA analyst for the network. She covered NBA, WNBA, and other sports while still playing basketball. Chiney studied International relations at Stanford University. She played in three Final Fours during her college career.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Chiney Ogwumike was born in Tomball, Texas. She went to Cypress Fairbanks High School in Cypress, Texas. While in high school, she helped her team win the 5A State Championship twice. This happened during her sophomore and senior years.
Chiney was recognized as a WBCA and McDonald's All-American. She played in the 2010 WBCA High School All-America Game. In that game, she scored 24 points and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her team.
College Basketball Career
Chiney chose to play college basketball at Stanford. She joined her older sister, Nneka Ogwumike, there.
Chiney finished her college career at Stanford in 2014. At that time, she held the record for the most career points scored by any player, male or female, in Pac-12 Conference history. This record was later broken in 2016.
Professional Basketball Journey
Starting in the WNBA
The Connecticut Sun picked Chiney as the very first player in the 2014 WNBA draft. In her first year, she became a starter for the team. She averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, which were career highs for her.
Chiney was chosen for the WNBA All-Star Game in 2014. Her sister, Nneka, was also selected. They became the first sisters ever to play in a WNBA All-Star game together. Chiney also won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2014.
Playing Overseas and Injuries
After her first WNBA season, Chiney played for an Italian club called Famila Schio. She played seven games there, averaging 25.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. However, she then had a knee injury that needed surgery. This injury caused her to miss the entire 2015 WNBA season.
Chiney returned healthy for the 2016 WNBA season. She played in 33 games, starting 18 of them. She averaged 12.6 points per game. She scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a game against the Dallas Wings.
During the 2016 WNBA season, Chiney also signed to play in China for Henan Phoenix. In her fifth game with the team, she scored an amazing 56 points and had 12 rebounds. She was named the MVP of the first round. However, in December 2016, she injured her Achilles tendon and needed surgery. This injury meant she had to miss the entire 2017 WNBA season.
Return to the Court
Chiney made her return to the Sun on May 20, 2018. It was her first WNBA game in two years. She scored 9 points in a win against the Las Vegas Aces. On June 30, 2018, Chiney scored a new career-high of 30 points.
Later in 2018, Chiney was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. This was her second time being an All-Star. The Sun finished the season with a good record. However, they lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the playoffs.
Joining the Los Angeles Sparks
On April 28, 2019, Chiney was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. This meant she got to play with her sister Nneka again. The Sparks had a strong season, but they were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the semi-finals.
In June 2020, Chiney decided not to play in the 2020 WNBA season. She had health concerns about playing in the "bubble" during the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, she signed a new contract with the Sparks.
Chiney has not officially announced her retirement from basketball. However, she did not play in the 2024 WNBA season. Instead, she has been focusing on her career as a sports broadcaster for ESPN.
Playing for Team USA
Chiney was chosen to play for the USA Basketball Under-18 team. This team competed in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Chiney started all five games and was the team's top scorer and rebounder. The USA team won all five games and took home the gold medal.
After playing well for the U18 team, Chiney was promoted to the World University Games team. She played in the 2011 World University Games in China. Her sister, Nneka, was also on this team. Both sisters started every game. Chiney helped the USA win all six games and earn another gold medal.
Career at ESPN
In May 2018, Chiney Ogwumike signed a multi-year contract with ESPN. This made her a full-time basketball analyst. In August 2020, she became the first Black woman to host a national radio show for ESPN. She was also the first WNBA player to do so.
Chiney is one of the youngest commentators to become a full-time NBA analyst for ESPN. She did this while still playing in the WNBA. She co-hosted the ESPN radio show Chiney & Golic Jr.. She also joined the daily show NBA Today as an analyst.
Career Statistics
College
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Stanford | 35 | 409 | .574 | .000 | .626 | 8.0 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 11.7 |
| 2011–12 | Stanford | 37 | 556 | .583 | .000 | .663 | 10.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 15.0 |
| 2012–13 | Stanford | 36 | 805 | .586 | .250 | .776 | 12.9 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 22.4 |
| 2013–14 | Stanford | 37 | 967 | .601 | .267 | .713 | 12.1 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 26.1 |
| Career | 145 | 2,737 | .589 | .263 | .705 | 10.8 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 18.9 |
WNBA
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career high | ° | League leader | ||||
Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Connecticut | 31 | 31 | 29.7 | .536 | — | .693 | 7.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 15.5 |
| 2016 | Connecticut | 33 | 18 | 24.3 | .587 | — | .719 | 6.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 12.6 |
| 2018 | Connecticut | 31 | 31 | 25.5 | .603 | .500 | .797 | 7.3 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 14.4 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles | 32 | 14 | 21.8 | .494 | .250 | .809 | 5.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 9.6 |
| 2021 | Los Angeles | 7 | 3 | 19.1 | .408 | .750 | .750 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 7.0 |
| 2022 | Los Angeles | 26 | 7 | 18.4 | .466 | .444 | .706 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 7.0 |
| 2023 | Los Angeles | 10 | 4 | 21.2 | .430 | .077 | .714 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 8.4 |
| Career | 7 years, 2 teams | 170 | 108 | 23.7 | .535 | .341 | .741 | 6.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 11.6 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Connecticut | 1 | 0 | 19.1 | .200 | .000 | .000 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles | 4 | 0 | 16.6 | .500 | .000 | .857 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 6.0 |
| Career | 2 years, 2 teams | 5 | 0 | 17.1 | .435 | .000 | .857 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 5.2 |
Awards and Recognition
Chiney Ogwumike has received many awards throughout her basketball career:
- 2010—WBCA High School Coaches' All-America Team
- 2011—All-Pacific-10 Conference Team
- 2011—All-Pac-10 All-Defensive Team
- 2011—All-Pac-10 Tournament Team
- 2011—Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
- 2013—Pac-12 Player of the Year
- 2013—Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
- 2014—ESPNW First Team All-American
- 2014—USBWA All-American team
- 2014—John R. Wooden Award
- 2014—Pac-12 Player of the Year
- 2014—Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
- 2014—WNBA Rookie of the Year
Life Outside of Basketball
Personal Life
Chiney Ogwumike is Catholic. Her older sister, Nneka Ogwumike, is also a professional basketball player. Nneka currently plays for the Seattle Storm.
In November 2023, Chiney married boxer Raphael Akpejiori.
Public Recognition
In December 2020, Chiney Ogwumike was named to Forbes 30 Under 30. This list highlights successful young people. Other WNBA players like Natasha Cloud and A'ja Wilson were also on the list.
Helping Others
In 2014, Chiney and her sister, Nneka Ogwumike, organized a fundraiser. They raised money to support UNICEF programs. These programs help promote education and empower girls in Nigeria. This effort followed the kidnapping of schoolgirls by Boko Haram earlier that year.
In October 2023, Chiney became a first member of the President's Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States. This council helps connect with people of African descent living outside of Africa.
See also
In Spanish: Chiney Ogwumike para niños
