BONUS: 1x1 with WNBA Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike

Squawk Pod

CNBC

Business News, Investing, Business, News

4 • 494 Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This bonus episode of Squawk Pod, from our partners at “The Keynote” features a leader at the forefront of women’s sports. Seattle Storm Forward Nneka Ogwumike has already built her legacy as a WNBA Champion with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. The MVP of league (also 2016). The first overall pick in 2012, and before that she brought Stanford to the Final Four, four years in a row. Now after the players opted out of their collective bargaining agreement her next challenge will be leading negotiations for a new contract in a pivotal time for women’s hoops. She spoke with Becky Quick about the growth of the WNBA, advocating for players and her approach to leadership at the CNBC Sport: Inside the Business of Women’s Basketball event on April 5th 2025. To listen to other interviews from events check out “The Keynote by CNBC Events” here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-keynote-by-cnbc-events/id1493248246 For information on upcoming events visit: CNBCevents.com In this episode: Nneka Ogwumike, @NnekaOgwumike Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	We need to separate ourselves from this position of lack.
0:07.8	We've been conditioned to believe that we need to be grateful for where we've been or for even
0:12.8	just having a league to prevent us from experiencing the dream that we're now currently living.
0:17.7	WNBA Players Association President NECA Aguimaki on the rapid growth of the league.
0:23.1	We would be in the airport. We would be wearing all of our spark stuff and they would still be
0:26.5	like, oh, are you guys a college team? You know? And now I could be walking in the airport with
0:32.5	no paraphernalia on and be stopped several times simply because of the accessibility and the visibility that we're now seeing that is a result
0:41.3	of the investment that we see in women's sports today.
0:44.3	Finding a better approach to partnerships.
0:46.3	If you're looking for a personal care partner and the WMBA has to wear axe, that doesn't
0:51.3	make sense.
0:52.3	You must differentiate when we see that the growth
0:57.7	has feelers that are reaching in different places
1:00.2	because of the league that we've become.
1:02.0	And how the next generation of players
1:03.9	are already making an impact.
1:05.7	I learned so much from these younger players.
1:08.4	Being able to see these young women coming in
1:10.8	with brands,
1:12.1	businesses that they know is completely autonomous to them and establishing that in a way
1:19.4	that is not just pushing themselves forward, but is pushing the league in women's sports forward.
1:25.0	I'm CNBC producer Katie Kramer. It's Saturday, April 12th, 2025,
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 9 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CNBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of CNBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.