Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike climbed to fifth place on the WNBA all-time scoring list on Thursday during a road game against the Phoenix Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Ogwumike secured the milestone by sinking a jumper from the right elbow with four minutes remaining in the second quarter.
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The basket allowed the 35-year-old veteran to surpass Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings in career points.
The milestone occurred as Los Angeles built a 17-point halftime lead by outscoring Phoenix 35-19 in the second quarter.
The Sparks entered the contest seeking a victory following a 106-96 loss to the Toronto Tempo on Sunday at Crypto.
com Arena.
Following her latest scoring achievement, Ogwumike trails only four players in league history: Diana Taurasi (10,646 points), Tina Charles (8,396 points), DeWanna Bonner (7,864 points), and Tina Thompson (7,488 points).
Among the top four scorers, only Bonner is currently active in the league and was on the floor for the Mercury during the game.
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The achievement follows Ogwumike's recent off-court leadership as the head of the WNBA Players Association, where she successfully guided negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
She returned to the Sparks in the offseason after playing the previous two years with the Seattle Storm.
The former league Most Valuable Player previously spent her entire career with Los Angeles from 2012 to 2023, highlighted by a WNBA championship run in 2016.
In a report published by ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Ogwumike detailed her choice to rejoin her original franchise.
"I think it's obvious that I have more years behind me than in front of me.
So at this stage in my career, it made the most sense for me to come back to LA," said Ogwumike.
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As of the third quarter, Los Angeles maintained a double-digit advantage over Phoenix, with Ogwumike contributing 10 points and three rebounds to the performance.
