Former Rice women’s basketball star Erica Ogwumike has been selected by the New York Liberty in the 2020 WNBA Draft and traded to the Minnesota Lynx.
When her Rice women’s basketball career came to a close, Erica Ogwumike had already paved the way for her future off the court. The Owls’ all-time leader in scoring average had spent most of the preseason flying back and forth across the country as she interviewed with medical schools. Ogwumike has since been accepted to nine medical schools, but her immediate future was somewhat in flux.
That was true until Friday night, when Ogwumike was selected by the New York with the second pick of the third round of the WNBA Draft. She was soon traded to the Minnesota Lynx.
Another one joins the squad!
We've acquired @Ogwumi13 in the third round from New York Liberty for Stephanie Talbot. pic.twitter.com/cjH6BOfgUR
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) April 18, 2020
Erica joins her sisters, Nneka and Chiney in the professional ranks. She is the third of four sisters to earn a WNBA Draft selection. Both Nneka and Chiney were chosen first overall, Nneka by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012 and Chiney by the Connecticut Sun in 2014. Ogwumike had to wait her turn to come off the board, but still joined an exclusive group of WNBA draftees.
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As evidenced by her medical school opportunities, the youngest sister took a different path to begin her professional career. Erica was not a highly-touted recruited. Nor did she make any NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances like her sisters. She took a less conventional route, going from Pepperdine to Rice, where she caught fire as her career progressed.
Ogwumike finished her collegiate career as the back-to-back Conference USA Player of the Year. She led her team to back-to-back regular season conference championships and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. A truncated 2020 season prevented what could have been another postseason run.
Those memories will take a back seat for now as Ogwumike embarks on a new adventure. For now, med school is on hold. Ogwumike is headed to the WNBA.
