March 19, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Chiney Ogwumike discusses where she’s been and where she’s going
By The Next
Chiney Ogwumike sits down with host Howard Megdal to discuss how she's using her voice to make an impact within the game she loves
On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, media personality and basketball player Chiney Ogwumike sat down with host Howard Megdal for a conversation about her past, present, and future. Though she triumphs on the court, Chiney’s life has always been just as vibrant off of it, through her work with ESPN, the NCAA, the NBA, and even as an appointee of the President of the United States. She discusses these various passions with Howard, as well as her future WNBA plans, in Tuesday’s episode.
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Howard and Chiney get right into it. Chiney opens the show by discussing with Howard her various passions and projects in the basketball world, like working the WNBA Finals, covering the NBA, and being a voice of March Madness. These accomplishments have been particularly sweet, as Chiney dealt with a good deal of adversity in her earlier years in the league. “I’ve had a lot of hardships, but a lot of them have turned into blessings,” Chiney says as she reflects on a professional journey that has seen everything from debilitating injuries to ESPN broadcasts, and now a role in President Joe Biden’s White House.
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Chiney and Howard reflect on the women’s game itself, and how it’s changed in the years since Chiney has been involved. For someone like Chiney, who remembers when not too long ago the women’s game felt like an afterthought, going to a Women’s College Game Day was “one of the best experiences of [my] life… getting to know that environment. People are finally opening their eyes in a way that they never did before, and that’s based off of the talents we’re seeing.”
Chiney and Howard also discuss her experiences in the White House, detailing an average day in Chiney’s appointee position, which is not so average. Her role in the White House enables her to work on engaging diaspora communities around the country, through mechanisms like trade, entrepreneurship, sports, and entertainment. And as far as what’s next for Chiney? For now, it’s continuing her work off the court, because she’s realized that her voice is her “greatest impact.”
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“I’ve been called to do a lot of great things,” Ogwumike said. “And I spend my energy where I feel like I can make the most impact. And right now that’s TV and broadcasting.” As far as returning to the court, she’ll “never say never,” but “particularly with broadcasting,” Chiney says, “that’s where my energy is right now.”
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