Nigerian-born Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) heroine with Dallas Wings, Arike Ogunbowale has cited her African roots as one of the biggest factors that have helped her to excel in United States of America.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, while throwing light on her Nigerian identity and chipping in a word about social-political issues in the country of her parents, Ogunbowale stressed that her African heritage plays an important role in her life.
Ogunbowale added that she uses her Nigerian rots and understanding of the country’s tradition to inspire her performances in the WNBA, while also placing great importance on following social issues at home and abroad.
The WNBA ace, who was born March 2, 1997 in Milwaukee to Nigerian parents, Yolanda and Gregory Ogunbowale, for who she is the youngest of three children.
Her mother played softball at DePaul University and her brother, Dare Ogunbowale played football at University of Wisconsin and is a running back for Jacksonville Jaguars, while her father served in the Nigerian military.
From 2009 to 2012, Ogunbowale was part of four Wisconsin State Cup-winning soccer teams, after which 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.
Ogunbowale played high school basketball at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School in Milwaukee and won the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I title in the 2014/15 season.
That came with Ogunbowale averaging 27.2 points per game and she was named 2015 Wisconsin Miss Basketball, while also making McDonald’s High School All-America selection.
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 semi-final 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.
Ogunbowale was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings and, 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
