Nneka Ogwumike, a prominent figure in women's basketball, has definitively seen her dream of representing Nigeria at the Olympics come to an end. Her application to compete for the African nation at the upcoming World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has been denied by FIBA for the third time. Ogwumike, whose parents were born in Nigeria, had been pursuing this opportunity since the Tokyo Games in 2021. Expressing her resignation, she stated to The Associated Press, "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's just certain things you can't control."

FIBA confirmed in a statement to the AP that Ogwumike's petition was indeed denied. The governing body cited multiple reasons for its rejections. Her initial application was turned down because FIBA contended she attempted to switch allegiance from the U.S. to Nigeria too close to the start of the Tokyo Olympics. Subsequently, her appeal to play in last year's Paris Games was rejected for being submitted after the established deadline. FIBA also emphasized Ogwumike's integral role with the U.S. national team, highlighting her contributions to their victories in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. The organization generally seeks to discourage athletes from competing for more than one senior national team throughout their careers, a policy that seems to be a significant barrier for Ogwumike.

Ogwumike voiced her frustration with FIBA's rationale, noting, "My involvement with USA is for them, their strongest point, but it doesn't necessarily make the sense that it does to the individual that's being penalized 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." Notably, USA Basketball had given its blessing for Ogwumike to pursue playing for Nigeria. She had been left off the American team for the Tokyo Games due to a knee sprain in June, despite being one of the WNBA's top players, though her recovery timeline would have allowed her to participate.

Nneka Ogwumike, who averaged 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the Seattle Storm this season, is not alone in facing this challenge. Elizabeth Williams also sought to play for Nigeria but was similarly denied. However, Nneka's younger sister, Chiney Ogwumike, had her application approved with reservations. Nneka clarified the distinction, explaining, "Because Chiney never played on a world championships team, that's why there's different statuses." She also mentioned that earlier acquisition of her Nigerian passport might have improved her chances.

A critical piece of information revealed by Ogwumike was past advice from USA Basketball. She recounted being told when she was younger not to acquire a passport from another country, with the warning that "It would hurt our chances of playing for USA." She clarified her intent was not even for basketball at that time, but simply because her parents are Nigerian and she is a first-generation American. This advice, she stated, essentially "scared us into not getting passports from other countries from which our families were from."

Nigeria has emerged as a formidable force in international basketball recently, making history as the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics at the Paris Games, before ultimately losing to the U.S. Ogwumike believes that her potential addition would have significantly enhanced the team's chances for further advancement, and this very strength might have implicitly contributed to FIBA's denials. "That's kind of the undercurrent of what they weren't necessarily saying directly to us but we assumed was happening," she concluded. Ogwumike hopes her prolonged struggle to play for Nigeria will bring greater transparency to the process and how athletes choose to represent their countries.