Over the weekend, WNBA writer Roberta Rodrigues reported that the Seattle Storm are “highly likely” to lose seven-time All-Star guard Skylar Diggins and 10-time All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike in free agency this week.
By Tuesday, Ogwumike suddenly became the buzziest free agent on the market when the Minnesota-based balloon company Amazing Balloons posted (and deleted) a video showing the installation of “Welcome Nneka” balloons at the Minnesota Lynx facility.
Predictably, WNBA fans took that and ran with the assumption that Ogwumike, 35, will sign with the Lynx.
Ogwumike weighed in on the rampant rumors by posting a TikTok with the famed Euphoria sound “Wait, is this [expletive] play about us?” (The clip is from the Euphoria Season 2 finale, when Maddy realizes Lexi’s school play is about their highly dysfunctional friend group.)
In the six-second video, Ogwumike looks around and makes a facial expression akin to the “neutral face” emoji. The TikTok also displays the message, “Balloon company clearly thinks they’re the birthday… They’re a little confused, they’re the surprise party.”
Ogwumike posted another TikTok poking fun at the balloon company, captioned, “I just want to talk.”
“Nneka Ogwumike is on a planned visit with the Minnesota Lynx, a source familiar tells me,” Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile reported on Wednesday. “The leaked balloon video was not news that the WNBA MVP will be joining the Lynx. She will be meeting with multiple teams.”
Ogwumike is one of the more decorated players in WNBA history.
The Los Angeles Sparks drafted her No. 1 overall out of Stanford in 2012. Ogwumike won Rookie of the Year and went on to win 2016 WNBA MVP in the same year the Sparks won their first championship since 2002. Along with 10 All-Star nods, Ogwumike has earned eight All-WNBA and seven All-Defensive selections. She was also named to the “W25” team, honoring the 25 best players from the league’s first 25 seasons.
Ogwumike left Los Angeles to join the Storm as a free agent in 2024. Last season, Ogwumike led the Storm in scoring (18.3 points per game) and rebounds (7.0).
Perhaps most impressively, Ogwumike is serving her third term as WNBPA President and was paramount in negotiating the “historic” new CBA agreed upon last month.
The WNBA free agency negotiation period opened on Wednesday and will run through Friday. Teams can begin signing free agents on Saturday. The 2026 draft is next Monday, April 13, and the WNBA’s 30th season begins on May 8.
