Erica, the youngest of the renowned Ogwumike sisters, wants to represent Nigeria instead of the USA like her older sisters – Nneka and Chiney.
The 22-year old, who was recently selected by the New York Liberty in the WNBA 2020 Draft as the 26th pick and traded to the Minnesota Lynx, is excited about the possibility of suiting up for D’Tigress who are currently the best team in Africa after winning two back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket titles and have already booked a place to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Erica, who is the only guard in a family of forwards, including Nneka, Chiney and Olivia, is on a path to step away from the shadow of her sisters while also continuing to look up to them for inspiration.
She spoke to FIBA.basketball in an exclusive interview, “I just want to compete. Whether that means making the team or not. I think it would be an awesome experience to just compete with the great women on the Nigerian national team. I’ve only competed for universities and organisations, so I can only imagine the pride and energy that’s felt when you compete for an entire country. It would be amazing to experience.”
Asked when she made the decision to play for D’Tigress, she said, “Probably half way through college when I began to see my sister competing internationally. Being Nigerian-American my parents have always kept us close with our culture and where we came from so it not only seemed like a fun opportunity, but also one I hold with the utmost respect and honour to be able to do so if possible.”
“It’s been hard being in college and playing basketball to visit as much now, but growing up we went to Nigeria frequently. I consistently love my Nigerian music, Burna Boy is my favorite artist, and, of course, we eat Nigerian food. Growing up in the USA never put a hindrance on our Nigerian culture because our parents did an excellent job continuing to educate us and keep us aware. Also we have lived in Houston, Texas our whole life which has a massive Nigerian population, thus events, people and more.”
Nigeria already has a couple of players that were born and raised in the USA like the reigning FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP Ezinne Kalu, Captain Adaora Elonu, Atonye Nyingifa and Sarah Ogoke, among others – something that is exciting for Erica.
“Yeah, of course, there is commonality in how we all grew up and I think because of that I can relate to them for sure. I hope so at least.”“As many now know, we aren’t comparing why, it’s just what I feel is best for me. Nneka, my sister, has worked hard to compete in the next upcoming Olympics and I will be the first one cheering her on in her pursuit. She honestly is what motivated me to want to do the same. We are all happy and support each other.”
Nigeria and USA were in the same FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia with D’Tigress leading for three quarters before the USA grabbed a 76-71 victory over the African champions. Nevertheless, the latter booked a place in Tokyo.