WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike is pulling off a challenging balancing act in the league, having helped orchestrate a season in the pandemic while also ushering in social justice initiatives on and off the court. Ogwumike, detailed her efforts during the final installment of the SBJ: The Road Ahead Virtual Series from the WNBA bubble in Florida, AKA the “Wubble.” She took part in the process leading up to establishing the bubble and continues to push for 100% player pay, along with focusing on players' needs and concerns. Ogwumike feels this is a pivotal moment for the league, introducing a lot of people who may have not followed it before, “not just because of basketball, but more so because of how we choose to use our own platform as WNBA players." Ogwumike reiterated that the season was dedicated to Breonna Taylor, and the Say Her Name campaign."With everything going on around the pandemic, with it being an election year, with us being a league of 70% black women, having so many different walks of life in our league, and being able to use our platform, have a season safely and successfully, I think truly has culminated this moment that we've always lived," she said.
INTO THE FUTURE: Ogwumike admits that though these last CBA negotiations were certainly a monumental and historical deal, that it was more of a catalyst for where she sees the league going. "We’re very proud of being able to move the salary in a way that hadn’t been moved in a very long time," she said. Overall, Ogwumike says the ultimate landing place for the league is one in which there is no more teams that are folding, more teams being added to the league, more sponsorships, more partnerships and an overall enjoyable experience for the fans and players, while pushing towards creating more opportunities for salary and compensation. Ogwumike: "I truly do envision a league that is bigger than what we can even imagine. I know it's going to take time, but I see indications of a promising WNBA, and that of a bright future for us."
