Great things can happen when a woman shoots her shot. And for Chiney Ogwumike (now, Chiney Akpejiori), shooting shots is what she does best.
The WNBA star first laid eyes on boxer Raphael Akpejiori on Hinge, which she had to be persuaded to try. Bored on a flight home, ready to peruse through prospects on the app who were Christian men 6'5" and above, her eyes first came across a "tall, beautiful chocolate man" who met her criteria. She was immediately done scrolling.
"I saw he was educated from the University of Miami, and I knew he was a Nigerian when I came up to one of his photos and he was holding a poster that said, 'End SARS,' part of the Nigerian protest that went global. And so, I was like, oh, he's really Nigerian," Chiney recalls to ESSENCE. "He looks dashing, strong, strapping, athlete, all of the above, and so I knew, I was like, oh, this is someone that is Nigerian, tall, educated. Match!"
Raphael's first impressions of Chiney were similar. He thought she was beautiful, and as an added bonus, she was a Naija babe. "The fact that you were tall, and the fact that you gave Nigerian vibes in your Hinge was what caught my eye," he says during a call with the statuesque stunner. "I was like, oh yeah, she's definitely a Nigerian. She's definitely tall and she's fine too."
The Los Angeles Sparks power forward and ESPN basketball analyst met him in person when she took that jump shot previously mentioned, inviting him to see Burna Boy in concert at the Hollywood Bowl in LA. "What caught my eye when I first saw you was your shoulders," he tells her. "You had those athletic, beautiful shoulders that just show your beauty."
When she saw him, Chiney breathed a sigh of relief. "The first thing that went through my head was like, 'oh my gosh. I didn't get catfished. He looks just like the guy on Hinge,'" she says. "But, I guess, I was more so happy because he was truly tall. You can FaceTime someone and their face is the same. But, when you see their whole persona and he's this African giant amongst the crowd, I was very excited, but I was playing it cool."
But let's back up a bit. After initially swiping right and making acquaintance with Raphael, the two weren't able to connect in person for that concert date until nine months later. If you're wondering why, it's because they're busy people. As Chiney says, "there's no off season" for the baller and TV personality, and he has his own training commitments as a professional boxer (he's also an engineer). So they talked, a lot, on FaceTime: before going to bed, first thing in the morning, when she wasn't on-air, they would check in with each other. In the days when that's all they had, Raphael believes that's when he first realized he'd found the woman for him.
"Our relationship grew in the times when I felt like I was never ever going to meet you," he says. "I told someone, 'oh, that's my girlfriend,' but I'd never met you before."
For Chiney, she realized he was the one during a trip to Chicago for the wedding of one of his friends. The city was covered in snow, allowing them quality time to watch movies and eat food during the trip. But it was at the nuptials where things came into focus for Chiney. "I felt like at the wedding is when I saw him in his element with guys that are his best friends and just being his true Raphael self, dancing to himself in the mirror and us dancing together as two athletes in this very Chicago wedding. I looked at him while he was talking to his friends and I felt something. I was like, this is different. And I kind of knew then that this is my person."
A month after meeting, the two started officially dating. Within a year, on Dec. 24, 2022, Christmas Eve, they were engaged. And in November 2023, the two became husband and wife. They said "I do" in a week's worth of wedding festivities in Houston, where she was raised. They included a welcome party, followed by a traditional Nigerian wedding ceremony honoring her Igbo and his Edo cultures. That event brought out 1,000 guests and Afrobeats star Adekunle Gold, who performed for the couple. Then there was a Burna Boy concert the next day (which was a full circle moment since a Burna Boy concert is where they first met), and finally, a white wedding or Western celebration on November 18 at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church. She married in a rotating collection of custom looks, including her white wedding gown made by Nneka Alexander of Brides by Nona, which they collaborated on via WhatsApp.
"I love that this is a design that I don't think many people have seen before, because it was personally customized towards my style," she says. "I'm someone who loves to wear crop tops. I'm an athlete, I like to show a little bit more of my body, but I also wanted something that was very white, and timeless, and elegant that would work in a church, but also wow my man when I'm walking down the aisle. So, that was a delicate balance."
After choosing, as a public figure, to keep her relationship with Raphael private up until the week of their wedding (she did share that she got engaged beforehand but didn't share to whom), it was only right that the couple openly celebrate their love in the grandest of ways.
"It was a celebration of our culture, it was a celebration of our community. And that's why we had, I think it was like 900 to 1,000 at the traditional, and then 700 or so at the white wedding," she says. Raphael adds, "It's a Nigerian wedding. What do you expect?"
As the Akpejioris, who split their time between Los Angeles and Miami, enjoy this new chapter as one, Chiney looks back on her decision to ask him out to that first Burna Boy show with fondness because it brought her to this blissful point. Communicating her wants and needs led to a happily ever after ending. Take notes.
"I think women should definitely make the move for pursuing a guy if you feel passionate, because you don't want to miss out on a lifetime of happiness or potential just because we feel like society tells us that we have to wait for the guy," says Chiney. "One thing I've learned is, guys cannot read our minds. You have to tell them what you're thinking, and you have to tell them what you want, and that's the best way to go. I believe as an athlete, you should absolutely shoot your shot and hold yourself with respect and dignity. And if you miss a shot, guess what? It teaches you to learn how to make one. That's what I've learned on and off the court."
Check out photos from Chiney and Raphael's unforgettable wedding celebration in this week's Bridal Bliss.
Everything about Chiney and Raphael’s traditional wedding was big, including the size of the wedding party. She is pictured with her favorite girls before the ceremony. The attire seen wasn’t easy to obtain, especially the gorgeous native threads worn by Chiney. “My mom took four trips back, my dad took five trips back over the course of 11 months of planning this,” she says.
The traditional celebration, according to Raphael, was one of his favorite parts of their wedding week. “The traditional is what I cared about the most, because that’s when you tend to get to showcase the African culture,” he shares. “So, I think the African part of the wedding was my favorite moment, because that was the beginning of the energy.”
“It’s a Nigerian wedding, and by tradition, if we were able to do it back home in the village, it’s open to your community,” Chiney says of the large guest count at their traditional wedding in H-Town. “And so, our families are very involved in our communities. I was born and raised in Houston, but been back to Nigeria every year my whole life. My guy is born and raised in Nigeria and here in the U.S. And to do it in Houston, which is baby Lagos because the highest percentage of the population of Nigerians are in Houston, it was home away from home.”
“We’re Africans. That’s how African weddings are,” Raphael adds of the celebration, which included multiple outfit changes. “It’s kind of standard, especially African weddings in Nigeria. We designed our wedding in a way that it was open to all and everybody could come celebrate and show support.”
Of course, all of the guests who showed up for the traditional were VIPs, but former WNBA star Lisa Leslie certainly stood out among the pack (she is 6’5″!).
Crooner Adekunle Gold put on a show for the couple, who cited his time on stage as one of their favorite moments from the whole wedding week.
After meeting up for the first time at a Burna Boy concert in LA, the couple enjoyed another Burna concert in Houston the day after their festive traditional wedding, which was the day before their white wedding. “Burna Boy was amazing, because we got to meet him and I got to present him a jersey on behalf of the Houston Rockets, and to be able to have that in the middle of a wedding week where he’s tied to our love story, being our first date, and it being our anniversary date a year later is crazy!” says Chiney.
Chiney is captured gifting the artist with a special Houston Rockets jersey. While she plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, as mentioned, she’s from Houston. The concert was enjoyed by the couple and their loved ones. “The Burna Boy concert was a good one too, just knowing that it started with Burna, we celebrated with a Burna Boy concert, and we’re ending and beginning another chapter with a Burna Boy concert,” Raphael says.
Chiney and her bridesmaids share a joyful moment before the ceremony at the church.
If you thought Chiney had a lot of bridesmaids, you haven’t seen Raphael’s very sharp, very large group of groomsmen.
“At the white wedding, the church was just beautiful, because I always dreamt of this elegant church experience,” says Chiney. “It was awesome.”
What a gorgeous group! And for those wondering, the E in the wedding decor is for Raphael’s first name, which is Ethasor.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Akpejioris! The couple are photographed at the reception, sitting amongst the stunning decor in the Sans Souci Ballroom.
Another extra special guest at their festivities was Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who gave the couple a certificate of congressional recognition on their wedding day.
At the reception, the couple changed outfits (because of course they did). They switched it up and wore Black ensembles that were anything but mute.
The strapless black gown was undoubtedly one of Raphael’s favorite looks from the week. “Her second outfit was just it” he says, joking that they could have cut the reception short and headed home after he saw her in it. Her response? “Wow.”
When asked what they’re looking forward to most about married life, Raphael says, “Building a family, having children, and giving the next generation something to be proud of.” As for Chiney, she can’t wait to build a life with her love. “He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me. I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect for him,” she says. “Waiting for that person, and then now knowing that you have the rest of your life with that person is the biggest treat. And so, I look forward to being able to spend every moment and every memory with him, the person that makes life colorful and beautiful.”
Wedding photos taken by Stanlo Photography