NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2019 – Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike has been named the recipient of the 2019 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award, the WNBA announced today.

The Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award is presented each season to a player who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, including ethical behavior, fair play and integrity. The award is named for the late Kim Perrot, who helped guide the Houston Comets to their first two WNBA championships before passing away in August 1999 after a seven-month battle with cancer.

Ogwumike received seven votes from a national panel of 43 sportswriters and broadcasters. The Connecticut Sun’s Jasmine Thomas and the Atlanta Dream’s Elizabeth Williams tied for second with six votes each, followed by the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson with five votes.

Ogwumike will be presented with the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award before the third-seeded Sparks play host to the sixth-seeded Seattle Storm in a second-round, single-elimination playoff game on Sunday, Sept. 15 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

A six-time WNBA All-Star, Ogwumike has spent her entire eight-year career with the Sparks. She averaged team highs of 16.1 points (ninth in the WNBA), 8.8 rebounds (fourth) and 1.88 steals (fifth) in 32 games this season, earning All-Star honors and helping the Sparks finish with a 22-12 record. Ogwumike was selected to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team for the fourth time.

In 2016, Ogwumike was named the WNBA Most Valuable Player and led Los Angeles to the WNBA championship. The former Stanford University standout was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft and earned the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award that same year.

Last year, Ogwumike received the 2018 Seasonlong WNBA Community Assist Award presented by State Farm in recognition of her dedication to community outreach.

Below are the voting results for the 2019 WNBA Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award and a list of all-time winners.

2019 KIM PERROT SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD RESULTS

Player, Team, Votes
Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks): 7
Jasmine Thomas (Connecticut Sun): 6
Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream): 6
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces): 5
Danielle Robinson (Minnesota Lynx): 4
LaToya Sanders (Washington Mystics): 4
Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky): 3
Candice Dupree (Indiana Fever): 2
Leilani Mitchell (Phoenix Mercury): 2
Sami Whitcomb (Seattle Storm): 2
Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles Sparks): 1
Tanisha Wright (New York Liberty): 1

KIM PERROT SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNERS

2019 – Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks)
2018 – Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
2017 – Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
2016 – Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
2015 – DeLisha Milton-Jones (Atlanta Dream)
2014 – Becky Hammon (San Antonio Stars)
2013 – Swin Cash (Chicago Sky)
Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
2012 – Kara Lawson (Connecticut Sun)
2011 – Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
Ruth Riley (San Antonio Stars)
2010 – Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)
2009 – Kara Lawson (Sacramento Monarchs)
2008 – Vickie Johnson (San Antonio Stars)
2007 – Tully Bevilaqua (Indiana Fever)
2006 – Dawn Staley (Houston Comets)
2005 – Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Connecticut Sun)
2004 – Teresa Edwards (Minnesota Lynx)
2003 – Edna Campbell (Sacramento Monarchs)
2002 – Jennifer Gillom (Phoenix Mercury)
2001 – Sue Wicks (New York Liberty)
2000 – Suzie McConnell Serio (Cleveland Rockers)
1999 – Dawn Staley (Charlotte Sting)
1998 – Suzie McConnell Serio (Cleveland Rockers)
1997 – Haixia Zheng (Los Angeles Sparks)