Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike’s dream to play for Nigeria at the Olympics is over.
The international basketball federation turned down her application to compete for the African nation at next year’s World Cup and at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
It was the third time that FIBA had denied Ogwumike’s appeal to play for Nigeria.
She had been trying to play for the country, where her parents were born, since the Tokyo Games in 2021.
After the second time trying to appeal, I made my peace with it. The third time, I was like, let me say I gave it my all. I’m kind of at the point where I’m very much over it.
“It’s unfortunate, but there are just certain things you can’t control,” Ogwumike said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Friday.
“My involvement with the USA is for them, their strongest point, but it doesn’t necessarily make sense that it does to the individual who’s being penalised for it.
You guys are going to continue using this excuse over and over again. I’m not about to beat a dead horse. I gave it an honest try ,so I feel fine about it,” she added.
FIBA said in a statement to the AP that Ogwumike’s petition was denied.
Her first application was turned down because FIBA said she tried to switch from the U.S. to Nigeria too close to the start of the Olympics.
The governing body then said her appeal to play in last year’s Paris Games came after the deadline and that she had been an important part of the U.S. national team in its victories in the 2014 and 2018 World Cup.
FIBA stated that it tried to discourage athletes from playing for more than one senior national team in their careers.
USA Basketball gave its blessing for Ogwumike to try to play for Nigeria. She was left off the American team at the Tokyo Games team despite being one of the best players in the WNBA because of a knee sprain she suffered in June that year. Her recovery time would have had her back in time for the Olympics.
Ogwumike, who averaged 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds this season for Seattle, wasn’t the only U.S. player to be denied a chance to play for Nigeria.
