Olivia Nelson-Ododa Could Be Future of Connecticut Sun’s Inside Game

The Connecticut Sun was able to squeeze a breakout season out of forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa.

Connecticut Sun center Olivia Nelson-Odada (10) between plays against the Golden State Valkyries during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

When talking about the Connecticut Sun’s young core, forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa must be a part of the conversation.

One of six players that the Sun has under their rookie rights, she is also the most veteran of a group that includes Aaliyah Edwards, Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, Leila Lacan and Rayah Marshall.

Nelson-Ododa, a former UConn star, was selected in the second round of the 2022 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. The former all-Big EAST selection didn’t stick with the Sparks for long as they traded her to the Sun in January of 2023. She also played in Australia with the Melbourne Boomers in 2022 and 2023.

In her first three WNBA seasons, she was used off the bench wasn’t that productive. That chance in 2025 when she finally had a breakthrough that could lead to a starring role in 2026.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s Breakthrough Season

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Nelson-Ododa had the best season of her career in 2025, as he set career highs in practically every statistical category. In her fourth league season she averaged 8.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and a team-leading 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting a team-best 52.6% from the field. She played 21.4 minutes per game, also a career high for a season.

She started 21 of the 37 games she played, and she was productive on both ends of the floor. Offensively, she scored 10 or more points in 14 games, a career high, with eight or more rebounds in eight games. Defensively she led or co-led the Sun in blocked shots 17 times and rebounding nine times.

That included several early-career milestones, including her 100th career block on June 29 against the Minnesota Lynx, 500th career point on June 17 versus the Indiana Fever, and 500th career rebound on Aug. 19 against the Washington Mystics.

Nelson-Ododa will watch from the sidelines as the league goes through a seismic offseason for the Sun and the rest of the WNBA. The players’ union and the WNBA are working on a new collective bargaining agreement. The current one expires on Oct. 31, but the two sides are far apart on a new agreement.

The Sun is also dealing with potential ownership issues. The Mohegan Tribe, which owns the team, has entertained majority and minority ownership offers from a current NBA minority team owner, a former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and the league, which intended to pass the team to Houston. The state of Connecticut wants to keep the team in the state, to the point where it is willing to invest part of its pension fund in the franchise.

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