Ogwumike's shot lifts Sparks on 'emotional' night
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- Nneka Ogwumike hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than a second left to cap the Sparks' 98-97 comeback over the Liberty in front of a sold-out 18,043 crowd at Crypto.com Arena during the WNBA's 30th anniversary celebration.
- The Sparks trailed by 12 at halftime and by as many as 17 in the third quarter before chipping away; Ogwumike finished with a game-high 24 points on her second 3-pointer of the night.
- Ogwumike, the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 and 2016 MVP when LA won its third title, spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Seattle Storm before returning to the Sparks this year.
- Ogwumike also serves as the WNBPA president and was instrumental in negotiating the 2020 and 2025 collective bargaining agreements, wiping away tears postgame as she thanked the league's former players in attendance.
- The original Sparks-Liberty matchup on June 21, 1997 ended 67-57 in New York's favor, with Lisa Leslie posting 16 points and 14 rebounds for LA and Rebecca Lobo scoring 16 with 6 boards; Leslie addressed fans at halftime and Lobo called the ESPN broadcast.
- The final sequence: Ogwumike tied it at 93 with 1:27 left, Rae Burrell's two free throws cut the gap to 97-95 with 10.3 seconds remaining, and Erica Wheeler assisted on the game-winner after Breanna Stewart went 1-of-2 at the line.
Why it matters: Ogwumike — the WNBPA president who negotiated the 2020 and 2025 CBAs — delivered the walk-off 3-pointer in front of a sold-out 18,043 crowd on the league's 30th anniversary, giving the Sparks their most symbolic win since their 2016 championship and intertwining the WNBA's founding-era players with its current stars on one stage.
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