Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Arike Ogunbowale

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Arike Ogunbowale made an impact.

Arike Ogunbowale is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Dallas Wings. A standout at Notre Dame, she led the Fighting Irish to a national championship in 2018, earning the Most Outstanding Player award due to her clutch game-winning shots in the semi-final and championship games. Drafted fifth overall in 2019, Ogunbowale has become a prominent figure in the WNBA, being named a WNBA All-Star and receiving the All-Star MVP award in both 2021 and 2024.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2007: First 2-0 Season Start for Dallas Since 2007

In the first week of May 2023 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.

2017: Junior Season

In her junior season, 2017, Ogunbowale helped the Fighting Irish win the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, making game-winning baskets in the semifinal against UConn and in the final against Mississippi State. 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.

2018: Most Outstanding Player

In 2018, Arike Ogunbowale was the Most Outstanding Player of Notre Dame's national title run, hitting game-winning baskets in both the semi-final and championship game.

2018: NCAA Division I Tournament Win and Athlete of the Year Award

In her junior season, 2018, Ogunbowale helped the Fighting Irish win the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, making game-winning baskets in the semifinal against UConn and in the final against Mississippi State. 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.

2019: All-Rookie Team Selection

During the 2019 season, Ogunbowale was third in the league in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game, and was later named to the All-Rookie Team.

2019: Drafted into WNBA

In 2019, Arike Ogunbowale was drafted by the Dallas Wings with the fifth overall pick of the WNBA draft.

2019: WNBA Draft

In 2019, Ogunbowale entered the WNBA league when she was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.

July 14, 2021: WNBA All-Star Game MVP

On July 14, 2021, 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.

2021: WNBA All Star MVP

In 2021, Arike Ogunbowale was named WNBA All Star MVP.

2021: Won the Title

In 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. 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.

2022: Offseason Activities and Injury

In 2022, While playing with the Wings early on, in the winter she played overseas in Turkey and then Russia. She coached at the 2022 NBA Academy Women's Camp during an offseason trip to Saly, Senegal. Also, she played during the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in Utah. 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.

May 2023: WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month

In May 2023, Ogunbowale was named the WNBA's Western Conference Player of the Month. 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.

May 2023: Called Cornerstone of the Team

In May 2023, after a win over the Atlanta Dream, the Dallas Morning News called Arike Ogunbowale the "cornerstone" of the team.

June 2023: Parents Praised WNBA Television Debut and Season High Points

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. 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.

July 12, 2024: Appearance in Unrivaled League Announced

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

July 20, 2024: Named WNBA All-Star Game MVP for the Second Time

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. 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.

2024: WNBA All Star MVP

In 2024, Arike Ogunbowale was named WNBA All Star MVP.

2025: Played for Vinyl BC

In the 2025 Unrivaled season she played for Vinyl BC. In the 1v1 tournament of Unrivaled she finished as a semi-finalist, losing to eventual runner-up Aaliyah Edwards.