The Ogwumike family huddles around the TV, waiting for Erica’s big moment. Their living room looks cut out of a catalog, but the family is far from it. At 5-foot-9, Erica is the shortest of four sisters; they all play basketball, but she’s the only guard. As the third round of the 2020 WNBA draft gets started, their eyes fixate on the ESPN ticker. It’s what families do.
Their house, just outside of Houston, is a bubble tonight. Outside, the pandemic rages, jobs vanish and more people are getting sick. There is uncertainty inside, as Erica’s future rides on the whims of 12 teams. But here, there is also hope.
Her older sisters know a little about the draft. Nneka and Chiney were the headliners. They flew to Connecticut for a full red-carpet, swag-bag treatment. They wore dresses and heels and did live interviews on TV. Nneka, at 6-foot-2, was picked first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012. Chiney, who stands 6-foot-4, went first to the Connecticut Sun in 2014.
They don’t know what it’s like to wait into the draft’s final round, on the edge of a pink stool in their family home. This year’s draft is virtual, to comply with social distancing, so tonight, they wear leggings and sweatshirts, while Erica rocks a long-sleeved black minidress and checkerboard Vans — a traditional draft-day get-up.
She’s been too busy to worry lately. She’s still a student at Rice University, still taking online classes. Applications for med school were a huge project, but nine schools accepted her. So if her name doesn’t get called tonight, she has a fallback.
Nneka isn’t worried, either. She’ll say as much later on. But the 2016 league MVP wasn’t going to let her sister miss out on a real draft night. So she made Erica a swag bag with items from her house, like an Uninterrupted sweater and WNBA T-shirts. Chiney — who joined Nneka with the Sparks in a trade last year — interviewed Erica for SportsCenter. And Olivia, the youngest, helped with Erica’s makeup, gluing on her eyelashes.
It’s what families do. So now, they all watch and wait.
Olivia sees it first, blurting from the back of the room, “I saw your name on there!” Nneka, watching the feed on her phone as the pick becomes official, practically counts it down: “The New York Liberty select …”
Before anyone actually says Erica’s name, celebration fills the room. Moments later, Chiney yells, “WHOOOOOA!” Erica has been traded to the Minnesota Lynx.
Chiney goes live on Instagram, using a dish scrubber as a mic to interview her sister. The moment, despite its many differences, feels familiar. “You’re still surrounded by family, and you have an opportunity to live out your dreams,” Chiney explains. “And that feeling of getting drafted was still the same.”
The sisters end the night with Martinelli’s apple cider. For at least this moment, they can look forward to the future and offer a toast to what’s next. It’s what families do.