Nneka Ogwumike on her feelings about recent WNBA CBA
USAT’s Meghan Hall sits down to talk to WNBAPA president and Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike to hear about the new CBA and her partnership with Aveeno x Togethxr.
Sports Seriously
UNCASVILLE, CT — Aaliyah Edwards remembers her first game against Brittney Griner well. Possibly because it contained a welcome to the WNBA moment from the legendary post player.
“I tried to do like a reverse layup on her in my rookie season and she sent me into the third row,” said Edwards, who shuddered and laughed at the thought of it.
Edwards can chuckle because now Griner is on her side, a teammate with the Connecticut Sun. Entering her 13th season in WNBA, Griner joined the Sun on a one-year, $1.19 million contract. She said Edwards texted her when she agreed to a deal in early April.
“She was just like, ‘I’m so glad you’re coming here,'” Griner said. “‘I don’t have to play against you anymore,’ and I checked the back, and [said] ‘I ain’t got to play against you. I don’t got to guard you either.’ I was like, ‘So, we’re good.'”
Edwards called Griner “a legend to our league.” The 35-year-old center is expected to be one of the big draws for the Sun, who will be playing their final season in Connecticut before moving to Griner’s hometown of Houston. A 10-time All-Star, she won a championship with the Phoenix Mercury and is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 center has averaged 16.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over her storied career.
“To have that type of expertise around me constantly,” Edwards said, “only makes me better and helps me to grow as a leader.”BG’s been a great edition for us. She’s a winner. She had a championship before, and I love to play alongside winners.”
Griner admits she only recently has come into her own as a vocal leader and she is enjoying teaching her young team some of the finer points of the game. Thirteen of the 17 players on the Sun’s roster have three years or less experience in the WNBA, including six rookies.
“I love playing with his team,” Griner said. “Outside of me, (Kennedy Burke and Shey Peddy), it’s like three years and under experience. … It’s breathing youth into me. Like, they got me running up and down this court. Like, I’m 21.
“And they’re eager. You know, you can have a young group and all they want to do is play around. They don’t want to work hard, you know? That’s not this group. … They are locked in, and they listen.”
If Griner sounds like a coach, there’s a reason. She is already thinking about what’s next when she finishes her playing career. And being a part of this Sun team could be the perfect springboard. Griner said one of the reasons she chose the Sun in free agency was the chance to play with a younger team.
“I want to give back to the game,” Griner said. “I do want to get into coaching, you know, and all these little things were just kind of like calling out to me, and I feel like I can come out here, focus on basketball, show what I need to do.”
Head coach Rachid Meziane said Griner is fitting in much the way he expected when he recruited her to the Sun. After spending the first 11 seasons of her career in Phoenix, Griner played in Atlanta last season. After beginning the year as a starter, she moved to the Dream’s bench and never quite found her groove. She is getting back on track in Connecticut.
“I told her that she will have a big role to play on the court, but also in the locker room. From what I know from her and from teammates, she’s a great leader,” Meziane said. “… She’s really enjoying being an assistant coach almost.
“It’s exactly what I’m expecting from her … her presence around the young players, it’s something I value a lot.”
The fact the Sun are moving to Houston next season was also a big factor in Griner’s move. She led Nimitz High School in Houston to a Texas 5A state championship her senior season and recorded a record seven dunks in a game that season.
“I haven’t played in front of my family my whole career,” Griner said. “… I haven’t been able to play in Houston where I started my career. I have that opportunity to be able to go back home. I was like, it made sense.
“I wanted to come before (the move), be with the organization, show that, you know, I’m in it. … And I’m loyal. You know? So I plan on being here.”
