Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike named WNBA MVP for 2016 season
Nneka Ogwumike, who led the Los Angeles Sparks to the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs, was named MVP for the 2016 season, the league announced Tuesday.
It's the first MVP honor for the 6-foot-2 forward, who averaged a career-high 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks this season, her fifth in the WNBA. She ranked third in the regular season in scoring and rebounding.
"As far as goals go, this honor has always been on a list I wrote down in the back of some journal years ago," Ogwumike said. "Dreams don't sprout overnight, and triumph doesn't grow from trees. My 2016 season is a reflection of years of being a student of the game, hours of grueling practice, memories favorable and unfavorable, of great teammates and heartbreaking losses on the court."
Ogwumike received 31 of 39 first-place votes and 362 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. New York's Tina Charles received the other eight first-place votes and finished second with 267 points, followed by Minnesota's Maya Moore (197 points), Chicago's Elena Delle Donne (119 points) and Ogwumike's Sparks teammate Candace Parker (30 points). Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.
Ogwumike, 26, shot a league-leading 66.5 percent from the field (244-of-367), the second-highest mark in league history. She also shot 16-for-25 from beyond the arc this year after being 7-for-34 in her first four WNBA seasons combined.
Ogwumike's true shooting percentage, which takes into account 2-pointers, 3-pointers and free throws, is 73.7. That ranks as the best in WNBA history, according to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton, a metrics expert of both the NBA and WNBA. He points out that the only player who has finished at 70.0 or better in a season in which she played at least 500 minutes is Phoenix's Candice Dupree (70.0) in 2010.
"[Ogwumike] has had a season of extreme efficiency for the ages, and Nneka has worked extremely hard to expand her game," Sparks coach Brian Agler said. "Not only has she been dominant at the offensive end, but also she has developed that defensive stopper mentality and is one of our key team leaders -- and will be for the WNBA in the future."
The No. 1 overall draft pick and Rookie of the Year in 2012, Ogwumike set league records this season for consecutive field goals made (23) and most field goals in a game without a miss (12). She had 18 double-doubles in 33 appearances.
Ogwumike is the third Sparks player to win MVP, joining teammate Candace Parker (2008, '13) and Lisa Leslie (2001, '04, '06).
The Sparks (26-8) host Chicago on Wednesday in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET).
