Why you should call Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike ‘Top 10’

Another game, another milestone reached and Nneka Ogwumike is seemingly unfazed.

Her ascent to the top of a several WNBA all-time lists will no doubt land the Storm forward in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame whenever she decides to retire.

Maybe Ogwumike should assume the nickname “Top 10” because she ranks among the top 10 in career points, rebounds, steals, field-goal shooting percentage and 20-point games.

“I don’t really think about it, but maybe I reflect on it perhaps after the season,” Ogwumike said. “I’m kind of a very present person. I’m very in the moment. But I joke around and say it’s probably because I’ve just been playing for so long.”

There’s some truth to that.

The 34-year-old Ogwumike, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012, played 12 years with the Los Angeles Sparks where she won a league title and MVP in 2016 before joining the Storm in free agency last year.

Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. matchup against the Dallas Wings at Climate Pledge Arena will be her 400^th regular-season WNBA game and the nine-time All-Star shows no signs of slowing down while continuing a meticulous march at the pace of a metronome toward immortality.

“Every night, we’re talking about Nneka Ogwumike breaking records,” guard Skylar Diggins said. “She’s somebody that deserves her flowers. She’s one of my best friends, but she’s playing like an MVP in this league. I’m never surprised, but I’m always impressed, so shoutout to Nneka.”

Ogwumike, who ranks 10^th on the WNBA’s all-time rebounds list with 3,022, is averaging a career-high 9.0 boards per game this season and is projected to move past Tina Thompson for ninth place in six games.

Despite shooting a career-low 69.2% on free throws and 25% on three-pointers, Ogwumike increased her scoring average from last season to 16.9 points per game.

If she maintains her pace, Ogwumike needs just 11 games to catch Storm legend Sue Bird and slip into eighth place on the league’s all-time scoring list.

And with another steal, Ogwumike unlocks a tie with Angel McCoughtry and takes sole possession of eighth place on the WNBA’s all-time list.

When the season ends, Ogwumike is poised to rank sixth in scoring, fourth in rebounds and sixth in steals in league history while surpassing several all-time greats including Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings and Sheryl Swoopes.

“That’s definitely something that I do reflect on when you look at that list,” Ogwumike said. “What I think most about is those were a lot of my peers. Playing as many years as I have is really weird because all of the people that I played against are all in the rafters.

Nneka ‘Top 10’ Ogwumike

Here’s where Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike ranks on WNBA all-time lists.

“I’m blessed to be able to still be playing, but it’s those types of players that obviously shaped what I’m able to do today.”

At the start of Ogwumike’s second season with the Storm (3-4), it’s easy to take her brilliance for granted because she’s been so consistent for so long.

“I try not to,” coach Noelle Quinn said. “It’s such an honor to just be around her and her presence. She makes us better as people, but also as basketball players. We can talk about her presidential aura. It’s not just what she does for the [WNBA players’ association], but what she’s done for the Storm even already.

“I have the utmost respect for her. She’s a consummate professional. She is a great teammate, and she’s an amazing leader. She leads by example. She’s constantly here first every day.”

Ogwumike adheres to a daily regime that includes Pilates and yoga.

“Her warm-up is like an hour long,” Quinn said. “She does that every single day, and that’s why she’s so elite. She’s in the upper echelon of players in this league because of how she approaches the game. And she’s still getting better.

“She wants to be better. She wants to be coached. She wants to be pushed, and I think it allows for everyone else just to feel comfortable to do the same thing and willing to do the same thing because our leader is doing that.”

After passing Candace Parker on the league’s all-time scoring list, Ogwumike thanked her former Sparks teammate.

“When you’re thinking about your first years, you’re not really thinking about these milestones if they happen or when they happen, and I don’t take them lightly at all,” Ogwumike said. “But I wouldn’t be able to do that without a player like CP. I hope that she knows that I gave flowers when she was setting an example for me.

“It hits home a little bit more because I followed her lead and I want to continue to carry on that championship legacy that I learned from her here in Seattle.”

Quinn added: “I don’t take [Ogwumike] or granted, and I hope that we don’t. I’m going to always give Nneka her flowers when I can because I’m appreciative of her being in a place for [12] years, and coming to a place and still having a major impact. It’s just a testament to who she is.”