February 28, 2019

Weekend Plans With WNBAer/ESPN Analyst Chiney Ogwumike

CHINEY OGWUMIKE is a woman of many hats, balancing the roles of a WNBA Connecticut Sun Forward, WNBPA VP and a full-time analyst for ESPN, all at just 26 years old. While some players may use their off days during the season to rest and recover, Ogwumike’s starts hers with an hour commute to ESPN’s Bristol campus at 3:30am ET. “I only live my life according to 24 hours, that’s what helps me keep everything straight. It's a challenge, but it's one of those things that I take the same mindset to being an athlete and being prepared and giving it my all.” Ogwumike found time in her busy schedule to talk to THE DAILY about what was on her docket for the NBA All-Star Weekend. 

BIG WEEKEND: Friday morning is the NBA Tech Summit. Then we have the celebrity game, which I’m very excited about, and that's pretty much my ESPN hat, being an analyst for the celebrity game. Saturday morning, I have a Bleacher Report panel that I'm doing in honor of Black History Month. After that, I’m going to the NBA Africa luncheon. I've been on a lot of trips with NBA Africa; I've been to Rwanda with them, Kenya and Nigeria. Then, I will attend the Saturday night festivities with all the fun All-Star competitions. I'm going to use it as a networking opportunity. Then on Sunday, I’m actually not even able to stay for the game. I fly out first thing in the morning at 6:00am and I'm working in the studio as the women's college basketball host with games at 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00. Then at 7:00, when the All-Star Game is, we'll be having our ESPN NBA radio show, and I'll be hosting that.

BALANCING ACT: I'm pretty lucky because both careers happened when I was in Connecticut, playing for the Connecticut Sun and also working for ESPN. I guess you could say it's convenient for me to do both. But I'm not gonna lie: It's a grind and it's really hard. During the WNBA season, I'm with my team and then on my days off, instead of resting, I’ll drive to ESPN and go and be on their shows, covering the NBA, the latest news, all that stuff. They've really allowed me to share my voice, which I'm excited about. I'm so glad that they chose to invest in me, because it's a gamble in a way. I know I'm credible because I know what I bring to the table, but a lot of people question women's roles in sports. Those are stereotypes that I'm really excited to help break down. I just feel blessed and fortunate, which is why I'm trying to grind so hard to show them that, 'Hey, your investment in me is worth it.'

GLOBETROTTER: If I have time, the first thing I did when the season was over was I went back to Nigeria to reconnect with my family. And then I even went to South Africa for my cousin's wedding, hung out in Cape Town for a little bit. If I have weeks on hand or if I need to decompress for real, I love to travel. I'm already trying to plan for next time. I have African heritage, so I try to sort of explore that area. I'm thinking about going to Ghana, but the more I think about it I'm actually going to try to go to Zanzibar, which is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth.


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