Wikipedia

Arike Ogunbowale

Arike Ogunbowale (born March 2, 1997)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, before being drafted by the Wings with the fifth overall pick of the 2019 WNBA draft. She was the Most Outstanding Player of Notre Dame's 2018 national title run, hitting game-winning baskets in both the semi-final and championship game.[2] Arike Ogunbowale was named WNBA All Star MVP in 2021 and 2024.[3]

Arike Ogunbowale
Ogunbowale in 2019
No. 24 – Dallas Wings
PositionPoint guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-03-02) March 2, 1997 (age 27)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolDivine Savior Holy Angels
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
CollegeNotre Dame (2015–2019)
WNBA draft2019: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Dallas Wings
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentDallas Wings
2019–2020OGM Ormanspor
2020–2022Dynamo Kursk
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Early life

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She was born to Nigerian parents Yolanda Ogunbowale[4] and Gregory Ogunbowale in Milwaukee.[5] She is the youngest of three children. She is of Yoruba descent and her name ”Arike” means "a child you treasure, cherish, pamper and love" in the Yoruba language. Her father served in the Nigerian military while her mother Yolanda played softball at DePaul University and her brother Dare played football at the University of Wisconsin and is a running back for the Houston Texans. She is also a cousin of basketball player Diamond Stone. From 2009 to 2012, Ogunbowale was part of four Division One Wisconsin State High School Champions soccer teams.[6]

Ogunbowale came out of the eighth grade at Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. In her last year at Our Redeemer, Arike helped the Our Redeemer girls’ team win the national championship at the 2011 Tournament of Champions sponsored by the Lutheran Basketball Association of America. She was named the MVP of the tournament.[7][8][9]

High school

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In high school, she also played as a soccer forward, but decided to focus on basketball after coming to enjoy the sport more.[10]

She went on to play high school basketball at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School (DSHA) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. DSHA has long been known for its multiple national and state titles in numerous sports. Ogunbowale returned to DSHA on December 30, 2021, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame there. In the 2014–2015 season, the team won the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I title, with Ogunbowale averaging 27.2 points per game. She scored 55 points in a semi-final game against an undefeated team. Ogunbowale was ranked ninth in the world, named 2015 Wisconsin Miss Basketball and was a McDonald's High School All-America selection.[11][12]

College career

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Ogunbowale averaged 11.4 points per game in her freshman season at Notre Dame as a reserve player, and became a regular starter the next year.[6]

In her junior season, Ogunbowale helped the Fighting Irish win the 2018 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, making game-winning baskets in the semifinal against UConn and in the final against Mississippi State.[2] Shortly after the end of the 2017–18 school year, the Atlantic Coast Conference named her as its female Athlete of the Year across all sports, sharing honors with men's winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville football.[13]

In her next and final season at Notre Dame, she again helped them to the final of the NCAA tournament but this time, despite contributing 31 points through that match and a tournament average of 22.8 points, she missed 1 of 2 free throws in the final seconds against Baylor, with her miss providing the final 1-point margin.[14]

Professional career

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WNBA

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Ogunbowale entered the WNBA league in 2019[15] when she was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.[16]

Ogunbowale was selected as the WNBA 2021 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) with 26 points in the team WNBA win versus the women's Olympic squad, Team USA (July 14, 2021). During the 2019 season, she was third in the league in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game. She scored 20 or more points in 13 of her final 14 games, including the final 11 of the season. After the season, Ogunbowale was named to the All-Rookie Team.[17]

In May 2023 she was named the WNBA's Western Conference Player of the Month.[18] Leading up to the May award, in the first week of the season from May 20 to May 28, Ogunbowale averaged a league-high 26.7 points, giving Dallas its first 2–0 season start since 2007.[19] Over four games in May, she ranked third in scoring in the WNBA. In a game where she scored 21 points against Minnesota, she became the 11th player in league history to score over 20 points in the first four games of the season.[20]

While playing with the Wings early on, in the winter she played overseas in Turkey and then Russia.[21] She coached at the 2022 NBA Academy Women's Camp during an offseason trip to Saly, Senegal.[21] Also, she played during the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in Utah.[21] Near the end of the 2022 regular season, she suffered an oblique injury and stayed home for the offseason instead of playing overseas, accepting a player marketing agreement from the WNBA. She didn't play for two months.[21]

In May 2023, after a win over the Atlanta Dream, the Dallas Morning News called her the "cornerstone" of the team.[22] In June 2023, her parents praised the debut of WNBA shows being aired on national television, allowing her games to be seen outside of arenas.[4] In 2023, early that year, she appeared in several State Farm ads.[10] She led the Dallas Wings to a second win over Mercury in front of a sellout crowd in June 2023, scoring a season-high of 35 points for the Wings in a 90–77 win.[18] She sank 12 of 21 shots with five assists.[23]

On July 20, 2024, Ogunbowale was named the WNBA All Star Game MVP after scoring 34 points (a WNBA All-Star Game record) with 6 assists—all in the second half.[24] This is the 2nd All Star MVP title for Ogunbowale, who also won the title in 2021. In both cases, the WNBA All Stars were playing against Team USA Olympic teams.[3]

Unrivaled

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On July 12, 2024, it was announced that Ogunbowale would appear and play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a new women's 3x3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.[25]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader
* Denotes season(s) in which Ogunbowale won an NCAA Championship

WNBA

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Regular season

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Stats current through end of 2024 season

WNBA regular season statistics[26]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2019 Dallas 33 28 32.1 .388 .352 .815 2.4 3.2 1.1 0.0 2.1 19.1
2020 Dallas 22° 22° 34.0 .412 .336 .856 2.8 3.4 1.6 0.0 2.1 22.8°
2021 Dallas 32 32 31.3 .383 .376 .864 3.2 3.3 1.1 0.0 2.1 18.7
2022 Dallas 30 30 31.4 .400 .352 .798 3.3 3.6 1.5 0.1 1.8 19.7
2023 Dallas 40 40 37.2° .398 .343 .876 3.4 4.5 1.7 0.1 2.6 21.2
2024 Dallas 38 38 38.6° .383 .346 .921° 4.6 5.1 2.1° 0.3 2.7 22.2
Career 6 years, 1 team 195 190 34.4 .393 .350 .858 3.3 3.9 1.5 0.1 2.3 20.6
All-Star 4 3 25.7 .416 .391 .875 3.8 3.8 1.5 0.0 0.8 22.3

Playoffs

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WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2021 Dallas 1 1 35.0 .500 .500 .500 2.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 22.0
2022 Dallas 1 0 6.0 .000 .000 – 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2023 Dallas 5 5 37.8 .388 .351 .643 4.8 5.2 1.6 0.0 1.4 19.6
Career 3 years, 1 team 7 6 32.9 .393 .367 .625 3.7 4.0 1.3 0.0 1.1 17.1

College

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NCAA statistics[27]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2015–16 Notre Dame 35 0 19.3 .433 .391 .718 3.4 1.2 0.6 0.1 2.0 11.4
2016–17 Notre Dame 37 26 29.4 .449 .454 .732 4.8 1.9 1.2 0.2 1.5 15.9
2017–18* Notre Dame 38 38 34.3 .443 .382 .796 5.4 2.8 1.4 0.1 1.4 20.8°
2018–19 Notre Dame 39 39 32.7 .456 .359 .804 4.9 3.8 1.9 0.1 2.0 21.8°
Career 149 113 29.2 .444 .393 .770 4.6 2.4 1.3 0.1 1.7 17.6

Personal life

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In April 2018, Ogunbowale was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 26 of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer, Gleb Savchenko.[28] Ogunbowale and Savchenko were eliminated from the competition on May 7, 2018, placing 7th.[29]

On May 19, 2024, Arike announced her engagement to Lala Ronay.[30]

Arike's older brother, Dare, is a professional football player in the NFL.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "USA Basketball: Arike Ogunbowale". USA Basketball. July 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Creme, Charlie (April 1, 2018). "Another Arike Ogunbowale game winner leads Irish to NCAA title". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "WNBA All-Star Game: Arike Ogunbowale wins MVP with record 34 points as Team WNBA defeats Team USA". Yahoo Sports. 2024-07-21. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  4. ^ a b Lumpkin, Taylor (June 12, 2023), Family of Milwaukee WNBA star praises new push to broadcast games nationally, TMJ4, retrieved June 10, 2023
  5. ^ "5 things you should know about American basketball star of Nigerian descent". Pulse Nigeria. 3 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b Boren, Cindy (April 2, 2018). "Who is Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale, who twice hit the shot of a lifetime in the women's Final Four?". Washington Post. Washington. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "Our Redeemer team goes big". www.wauwatosanow.com. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  8. ^ "Trophy Case". LBAA. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  9. ^ "Past Award Winners". LBAA. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  10. ^ a b Roberson, Matthew (May 18, 2023), Arike Ogunbowale Can Dress, Dance, and Hoop, GQ, retrieved June 10, 2023
  11. ^ Christopherson, Brett; Thompson, Adam (March 14, 2015). "WIAA girls state basketball: Saturday's results". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  12. ^ "Arike Ogunbowale Bio". Notre Dame Women's Basketball. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  13. ^ "Louisville's Jackson, Notre Dame's Ogunbowale Voted ACC Athletes of the Year" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  14. ^ "NCAA 2019 National Women's Basketball final". ncaa.com.
  15. ^ Sam, Hale (June 6, 2023), Natasha Howard Is the Running Mate Arike Ogunbowale Always Needed, Dallas Magazine, retrieved June 12, 2023
  16. ^ Megdal, Howard (10 April 2019). "Arike Ogunbowale Is Ready for Her Next Shot, in the W.N.B.A." The New York Times.
  17. ^ "Rookie of the Year Collier Headlines 2019 All-Rookie Team .she has confirmed she will be playing for team Nigeria basketball team". WNBA.com.
  18. ^ a b Rauterkus, Peter (June 9, 2023), Arike Ogunbowale leads Dallas Wings to second straight win over Mercury, Brittney Griner, The Dallas Morning News, retrieved June 10, 2023
  19. ^ Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale named Western Conference Player of the Week, The Dallas Morning News, May 30, 2023, retrieved June 12, 2023
  20. ^ Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale wins Western Conference Player of the Month, The Dallas Morning News, June 2, 2023, retrieved June 12, 2023
  21. ^ a b c d Warren, Peter (May 18, 2023), Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale might be the new face of the WNBA, The Dallas Morning News, retrieved June 10, 2023
  22. ^ Warren, Peter (May 20, 2023), Arike Ogunbowale's dazzling performance stands out in Wings' season-opening win vs. Dream, The Dallas Morning News, retrieved June 10, 2023
  23. ^ Arike Ogunbowale scores 35 points, lead Wings to 90-77 victory over Mercury, Griner, The Associated Press, June 10, 2023, retrieved June 10, 2023
  24. ^ Feinberg, Doug (July 20, 2024). "Arike Ogunbowale and Caitlin Clark lead WNBA All-Stars to 117-109 win over U.S. Olympic team". Associated Press.
  25. ^ @Unrivaledwbb (July 12, 2024). "ARIKE IS UNRIVALED👑 4/30✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "Arike Ogunbowale WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
  27. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  28. ^ "Adam Rippon, Tonya Harding and more superstar athletes to face-off in Dancing With the Stars season 26". ABC News.
  29. ^ Radcliffe, JR (May 7, 2018), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Arike Ogunbowale both voted off 'Dancing With the Stars' on Monday, Milwaukee Star Sentinel, retrieved May 8, 2023
  30. ^ Walcott, Esther (May 20, 2024). "WNBA Star Arike Ogunbowale Proposes to Girlfriend Lala Ronay". People. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  31. ^ "Sports a Family Affair for Dare, Arike Ogunbowale". www.buccaneers.com. April 7, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
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