Chiney Ogwumike Interview on C-Suite Ballers

Cosmopolitan

23-05-2025

Multi-platform ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike knows exactly what it takes to excel in basketball and beyond. She has a dazzling player resume (Stanford standout! Overall No. 1 pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft! Two-time WNBA All-Star!), but she also has used the sport to craft a lane for herself to pursue her other talents and interests. "I think a lot of times people don't see athletes, or even former athletes, as having range," she tells Cosmo.
But that's false, especially today when so many Black women athletes are actively pursuing and living out their multiple interests while also thriving in their sport, and even using their sport as a platform into those other endeavors. But in Chiney's role as host of the series C-Suite Ballers, she's working on changing that.
The talk show series, which is powered by SheaMoisture in partnership with Uninterrupted, the athlete empowerment brand focused on telling the full scope of athletes' stories and experiences, "brings together powerful women across the sports world, from WNBA stars to analysts, influencers, and beyond," explains Kevin Tolson, head of personal care at SheaMoisture. "We see them fully," says Tolson, "not just as athletes, but as individuals, as leaders, business owners, and as culture-shapers."
The Black-founded and Black-led personal care brand has always been dedicated to centering and celebrating Black womanhood, so it was a perfect alignment when it became the official skin cleansing partner of the NCAA Final Four this year. According to data from the NCAA, Black women made up nearly 30% of all women's basketball players in the 2022-2023 season, accounting for "the highest percentage of any women's sport" at the college level. And on the pro side, it's even higher: More than 70% of the WNBA is made up of Black women, per a 2022 report.
"SheaMoisture has a longstanding commitment to showing up where our community is, and right now, Black women athletes are not only playing the game, they're changing it," says Kevin. "Everything is about putting Black women first. We don't want to just give Black women their flowers, we want to help them grow entire gardens."
During the season 1 finale taping of C-Suite Ballers during the Final Four weekend in Tampa, the line up of guests didn't disappoint. A slew of current WNBA players popped out, like Angel Reese, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Lloyd, and more, and guests even got a to see The Big Three—Elle Duncan, Andrea Carter, and Chiney—live and in the flesh. All of the conversations were intentional, thoughtful, raw, and inspiring to the nearly all-Black female audience.
"Sports is what got us started," says Chiney, "but it's also what's catapulted us." She goes on: "We have the mindset, the skillset, the determination, all those qualities that make us fierce in so many things other than just sports. So that's what I love about the series, just being able to showcase how sports and the love of hoops has allowed us to find our own lane and stand in truths."
When filming wrapped, Cosmo briefly talked with Chiney about her hopes for the series, how basketball has helped facilitate her other dreams, what centering Black women in sports means and looks like for her, and more. Read the full conversation below.
We talk about how sports has brought us all together, but how we have pivoted in so many different ways, to cover models to Players Association presidents to hosts and broadcasters. The list goes on. When you sit down, you know that you're safe, you're comfortable, and it's gonna be a vibe; there's no stress about it. I hope that it inspires people to know that no matter what space you enter, the energy you bring and how you carry yourself, transforms that space.
It looks and feels like a space where we can be ourselves, be comfortable, lean on each other, cry to each other, but also give each other flowers. That's what I love about the series—it's showing young girls that might look elsewhere and not see themselves that this is a place to come. It's giving them an opportunity to see people in environments that they may not normally see, like Angel Reese, who was just up there. You might follow her on Instagram or watch her podcast Unapologetically Angel, but we're gonna ask you the question and we're gonna get those gems.
When I'm down, I just remember that I am the only person that is me. Comparison is the thief of joy. We look at other people's pathways to success, and we're like, I want to be that person or I want to do what they're doing, not knowing that their lane is for them. Nothing can block your blessings if you stand in your own truth. My friend Andrea [Carter] reminded us of the statement during the show that, "Greatness delayed is not greatness denied," and just staying persistent to that. And then also looking at life with joy and beauty. I never thought sports would be the vehicle that allowed me to do what I'm doing or live a life I'm living.
Being a talk show host is new for you, but it seems natural and effortless. How have you been engaging new muscles in this format versus being an analyst?
My dream is to have my own show. I'm not saying it in a grand way—even though I am manifesting it—but I'd love to have a platform where I can lean into my voice, my expertise, and my knowledge. I've always felt like I have a mix of being able to analyze and personality, and I have a lot of friends in the industry that I love and I want to talk to them about the things that matter most. I've started doing more hosting on ESPN—when one of my teammates at ESPN is out, I host the shows. There are very few athletes that are hosts, and I would love to be one of the first on that side.
This conversation was lightly edited for space and clarity.