Overtime To Primetime: Chiney Ogwumike Scores Double Careers Playing in the WNBA While Full-Time On ESPN
“It’s when you’re doing something you love, that’s when you’ll do whatever it takes.”
Episode Description
What happens when your side hustle starts to rival your day job – or even overtake it? That's the story of our guest today: Chiney Ogwumike. She has completely broken pro-athlete mold: instead of a second act after sports... she got a second career DURING sports, as a broadcaster at ESPN – yes, at the same damn time. I mean look, I know a lot of athletes go on to broadcasting, but nobody juggles going full-time at both. And as you're about to hear from Chiney, that comes with plenty of challenges.
Guest Info
Chiney Ogwumike is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. She was one of the first and youngest commentators ever to be named an NBA analyst for the network covering the NBA, WNBA, and variety of sports, while simultaneously playing in the WNBA. Chiney is a graduate of Stanford University, where she majored in International relations. She played in three Final Fours and finished as the conference leader in scoring and rebounding as of January 3, 2014. In May 2018, Ogwumike signed a multi-year contract with ESPN to become a full-time basketball analyst.
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Show Notes
The rise of the side hustle [0:40]
A sports power family [2:20]
Strong Nigerian value system meets the American Dream [3:38]
The trailblazer sister [5:10]
Multi-talented family: competitors or collaborators? [6:58]
Incentivizing success [9:10]
Reframing cultural narratives [9:45]
It’s more than sports [10:26]
Alienation from your own identity [11:00]
Lightbulb moments in front of the TV [11:45]
The athlete as a position of power [11:20]
A crucial realization [12:56]
A question never asked before [13:30]
The plague of early specialization [14:30]
Multifaceted skills as a secret weapon [15:30]
Practicing separately [16:30]
An alleged elbow [16:50]
The Kobe story [17:45]
A shocking call [19:05]
Beating the streak [21:00]
A reality check [22:00]
Surreal experiences [25:50]
Hey, is that my sister? [27:30]
NBA vs WNBA: what people have wrong [28:10]
Trusted with a legacy [29:30]
Globetrotting [31:00]
Entering broadcasting [31:40]
Holding your own on TV [32:50]
Calling out bias [34:20]
When the red light goes on [35:20]
A day in the life of a two-career woman [37:40]
Family reactions [42:40]
Wait, do two careers help? [45:40]
Bombing on live TV [48:40]
Authenticity over perfection [52:00]
Heading up the player’s association [53:10]
Sharing your voice [56:30]