Who is Chiney Ogwumike’s husband? Is Chiney Ogwumike actually married?
Introduction
In the USA, making it as a pro athlete is tough. In fact, to say that it’s tough is like saying that hiking Everest barefoot is tough.
Making it as a pro athlete is extremely difficult.
Not only do you need to be physically and mentally capable, but you also need to be able to handle the competition and the varying degrees of fame that go with it.
While it’s tough to turn pro as a male, women have it even tougher to become pro athletes and earn a living from it, which is proof of just how competitive they need to be.
In the USA, for example, women’s basketball was once mocked and struggling to bring in audiences, but nowadays, it is worth millions and has a loyal fanbase from all over the globe.
The WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), for instance, is now valued at $1 billion, and with athletes such as Chiney Ogwumike taking to the court and dazzling fans week in and week out, it really isn’t surprising as to why that is.
But who is Chiney Ogwumike’s husband? Let’s find out.
Who is Chiney Ogwumike?
Chiney Ogwumike attends the EMILY’s List Oscars Week Discussion – @Getty
Chiney is a hugely talented woman and is also a firm fan favorite not only because of her natural ability as a basketball player but due to her demeanor as well.
Chiney was born on March 21st, 1992, in Texas.
She plays in the WNBA as a pro basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Not only that, but she is also a record-setter and history-maker.
That’s right.
You see, Chiney became the first WNBA player and the first black woman to host an ESPN national radio show.
On top of her playing career, Chiney is also an analyst for the NBA, the WNBA, and a selection of other sports as well.
She not only signed a multi-year contract with ESPN to work as a basketball analyst full-time, but she has also signed an endorsement deal with Adidas, which really helped to put her on the map.
Early Years
Chiney Ogwumike attends the adidas Basketball “Remember The Why” All-Star Weekend athlete podcast – @Getty
Chiney is a Texas gal, born and bred.
She went to high school in Cypress, Texas, where she attended Cypress Fairbanks High School.
At school, she took to basketball right away and was a very talented player.
In her sophomore season and senior season, she would win the 5A State Championship.
She would even be named a McDonald’s and WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) All-American.
Chiney would compete in 2010, playing in the WBCA High School All-America game. She was outstanding, scoring 24 points and earning MVP honors for her team.
She would go on to play for Stanford with her sister Nneka, where she would remain until 2014.
During her time there, she set yet more records, as she became the all-time career leading scorer for either gender in Pac-12 Conference history. Incidentally, in 2016, that record was broken by Washington’s Kelsey Plum.
Chiney would also play basketball for the USA’s U18 team, where she competed in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Women’s Championship.
Once again, she became the leading scorer for all games, scoring 13.2 points in each of the five games she started.
As if that wasn’t enough, she also became the team’s leading rebounder, as she nailed 7.4 rebounds per game.
Because Chiney played so well, she bypassed the U19 team and was promoted straight onto the 2011 World University Games team, along with her sister, for the event held in China.
Chiney was once again inspirational and hit 25 out of 37 shot attempts and helped the USA to capture Gold.
Pro Basketball Career
Chiney Ogwumike attends the 2022 Night of Nigerian Excellence Hosted by Yvonne Orji at Beauty & Essex – @Getty
In 2014, Chiney was signed to the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun team. She averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, which was a career-best for her.
She would win the 2014 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2015, she was forced to sit out after an injury to her knee, which she picked up pre-season.
In 2016, however, she was back and averaged 12.6 points per game, playing 33 games in total.
After playing in China during the off-season, however, she injured her Achilles tendon and underwent surgery.
She returned in 2018 and played her first WNBA game in two years.
Months later, she would score a career-high of 30 points in a loss against Seattle Storm.
She would go on to be traded to the LA Sparks in 2020. She announced, however, that due to recent events, she would sit out the 2020 season due to health concerns.
The team suffered without her, though in 2021, she would sign a multi-year deal to keep her at the team.
Career as an Analyst
Chiney Ogwumike attends the 15th Annual Headies Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre – @Getty
Don’t worry; we’ll address the Chiney Ogwumike husband rumors a little later on. First, however, we’ll look at her ESPN career.
In 2018, she became a full-time basketball analyst for ESPN.
She became one of the youngest people to become a full-time commentator for ESPN.
With Chiney approaching the end of her playing career, it’s clear that she has a bright future ahead of her in terms of sports broadcasting and analysis.
Chiney Ogwumike attends the Los Angeles premiere of Apple’s “They Call Me Magic” at Regency Village Theatre – @Getty
So, who is Chiney Ogwumike’s husband?
Okay, the time has come to address the Chiney Ogwumike husband rumors. So, is Chiney married, and if so, with whom? Well, to our knowledge, Chiney Ogwumike is NOT married, though she has been romantically linked to professional athlete Hayes Johnson. Officially, however, the two are not an item, with many of her fans saying that she is married to the sport of basketball instead.
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.