Meet Chiney Ogwumike, a Nigerian-American powerhouse redefining the intersection of sports and media and highlighting the important role of the diaspora in shaping the future of the African continent.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Ogwumike is a graduate of Stanford University and was the first overall pick in the 2014 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft. Her passion and commitment to basketball led her to becoming a two-time WNBA All-Star for the Los Angeles Sparks and a full-time multi-platform ESPN NBA Analyst, becoming one of the youngest national sports studio analysts and one of the only full-time professional athletes to hold a regular national sports media position. In 2020, Ogwumike became the first Black woman to host a national daily sports-talk radio show. Most recently, she stars on ESPN daily on ESPN’s NBA Today and NBA Countdown, as well as Women’s College Gameday and WNBA Countdown.

Ogwumike’s influence also extends well beyond the court and screen. From 2018 to 2022, she served as vice president of the WNBA Players Association. She also became one of the youngest national sports studio analysts for ESPN and was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021. In 2022, US President Joe Biden appointed Ogwumike to the inaugural Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement, which aims to strengthen US-Africa relations.

Using basketball as a tool for development and empowerment, Ogwumike has launched youth engagement initiatives across the continent. According to Ogwumike, sports and creative industries—and investment in them—can transform lives, communities, and economies in Africa.

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