Sparks legend Nneka Ogwumike wins 2026 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
Rey Moralde
Host · Writer
Nneka Ogwumike wins yet another award even after her illustrious WNBA career came to a close a few weeks ago.
The Sparks legend has won the 2026 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. Ogwumike wins the award for a record fifth time, winning it from 2019-21 and again in 2025. The award is described as follows:
"The Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award is presented each season to a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, including ethical behavior, fair play and integrity. Named in honor of the late Kim Perrot, a two-time WNBA champion with the Houston Comets, the award celebrates the values she embodied throughout her career."
Ogwumike received 38 out of 74 possible votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The Liberty's Rebecca Allen was second place with seven votes while MVP candidate Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell was third with six. The Valkyries' Veronica Burton and the Mystics' Michaela Onyenwere received four votes each.
The recently-retired Ogwumike finished her 15th season in the W averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She ended her career fourth all-time in scoring (8,047 points), fourth in steals (718), and third in rebounds (3,657). She is also the all-time leading scorer in All-Star game history. And of course, she is the Sparks franchise leader in points and steals.
What's likely next for Ogwumike is to have her jersey retired by the team. She's a shoo-in inductee for the Hall of Fame. And who knows? Maybe she'll get also get a statue at Star Plaza just like another Sparks legend that got hers a few weeks ago.
Previous Sparks that have won the Sportsmanship Award were Haixia Zheng (the inaugural winner in 1997) and Dearica Hamby (2024).
