Last night something special happened in Los Angeles.
The Sparks, who are 8-8 and ranked 9th in the league, hosted the New York Liberty. A lot of people expected New York to win; the team is fourth in the league and are currently cruising with an 11-6 record. They're also the Liberty, and the Sparks have been having a hard time of it lately.
This game was special; it was played on the anniversary of the first WNBA game between the two teams in 1997, thirty seasons ago. Lisa Leslie and Kym Hampton recreated that first-ever tip-off before the game started. The Liberty won the first-ever WNBA game 67-57, and for most of last night's match, it seemed like they were going to win again.
But then... something happened.
Sports are pretty special. They have a way of pulling in people who wouldn't typically think of themselves as "sports people" — once you start to see the stories behind, in front of, and woven throughout the game, it becomes difficult to look away. Women's sports are impactful, and have purpose; perhaps no one is as keenly aware of how important that purpose is as Ogwumike.
As president of the WNBPA, Ogwumike was the face of the CBA negotiations that dominated the offseason. She was the person sought again and again, the one who was tasked with explaining, reiterating, staying up all hours of the night; she was the one who carried so much of the stress of knowing the league is worth more on her shoulders. She, rightfully, has been credited with steering the entire WNBPA through that process, and doing so impeccably.
So it was fitting that as the last seconds of the game wound down, as it seemed the Sparks were going to lose to the Liberty again, that it was Ogwumike who met the moment. A pass from Erica Wheeler gave her exactly the amount of time she needed to pull off the unthinkable: with less than a second left, Ogwumike fired off a three-pointer.
It hit. Los Angeles won the game, 98-97.
When you watch clips from the game, it's clear Ogwumike knew the ball was going in before she even felt the earth underneath her feet once more. A crowd of 18,043 roared their approval, briefly united more because of a shared love of the game over any team loyalty — and that kind of camaraderie is the good stuff, the stuff that sports are designed for. That's what reminds us that we're all human in the first place.
"It's emotional seeing all these legends in the building," she told ESPN as she wept. "People that didn't get paid their value, and they're still coming here and supporting us. I'm so grateful."
The team's coach Lynne Roberts said "everyone" on the team would have chosen Ogwumike for that moment. "On a night like tonight, where we're honoring the legacy of not only the Sparks but the league, what Nneka has done — especially getting that new CBA done — it's powerful when you think about it," she added. "That's what sports can do is bring out those moments. You couldn't have scripted it any better."
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