League Most Valuable Player Nneka Ogwumike hit the game-winning shot for the Los Angeles Sparks to win the 2016 Womens National Basketball Association championship.
Ogwumike got into foul trouble early and never really got it going. Fortunately for the Sparks, superstar Candace Parker upped her game and did the heavy lifting of the offense. She exploded for 28 points and finally hit a 3-pointer for the first time in this series.
Had Ogwumike not make the final shot of the ballgame, it would have been a back-to-back for Maya Moore's Lynx. But that's what Ogwumike has been doing all season long, being relentless in getting to the boards.
Although Ogwumike made the final shot, the Finals MVP honors was given to Parker. It has been a tough year for Parker who was not included in the 2016 USA womens basketball team, a first in her career and lost college coach Pat Summit. But she managed to gut it out and help her team win one of the most exciting Finals series in WNBA history.
This last year has been pretty tough for me," said Parker. "My teammates were always there for me. I think I'm excited we won the championship, but the journey to get here, I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else."
It's the first championship for the Sparks since 2002 and the third in franchise history, and the first for Parker. Maya Moore was excellent for the Lynx. She was everywhere playing defense, rebounding, scoring, and facilitating their offense. She finished the game with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assits but it wasn't enough. She hit the go-ahead basket, putting the Lynx up by one, before Obwumike's putback.
NBA legend Michael Johnson, co-owner of the Spakrs, was present in the game. After the game, he went up to Parker and congratulated her. Parker shared a moment with Johnson because they now have one thing in common, they're both world champions.
