Chiney Ogwumike will join Mike Golic Jr. in ESPN Radio’s afternoon drive slot on the East Coast next month. The 28-year-old WNBA star has seen her media profile grow with her league and so many others on hold. While she is excited to have a national radio platform, she told USA Today’s Chris Bumbaca that it doesn’t mean her playing days are over.
Ogwumike was the top pick of the 2014 WNBA Draft. She has been a two-time all-star and won a championship with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. Her older sister Nneka is also on the team, and winning another title together is a stated goal of Chiney Ogwumike.
She will not play at all in the abbreviated 2020 season. She decided to use the time to heal from two devastating injuries sustained earlier in her career. She also used that time to establish herself as a presence on multiple ESPN platforms and develop a relationship with her future radio partner.
“People don’t know all of the reps you do,” she told Bumbaca. “That’s the beautiful thing you get from sports.”
ESPN Radio is dedicated to Chiney Ogwumike, no matter what how she sees her future in the WNBA. ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Product, Dave Roberts, was instrumental in building the show that will be called Chiney & Golic Jr. He called Ogwumike “one of the smartest, most knowledgeable talents I’ve come across in my career.”
