Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale is joining forces with Red Bull for a season-long community giveback program to raise money for solar-powered lighting at basketball courts around the city.

As part of the program, called “Dallas Has Wiiings,” $800 will go to the new lighting systems for every 3-point shot Ogunbowale sinks during the 2022 WNBA season.

The Wings star took shots at a temporary court overlooking Dallas’ Reunion Tower last week to celebrate the project’s launch. Every 3-point shot she made turned on another set of lights on the tower, and with her 10th basket, she lit up the entire tower.

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(courtesy of Red Bull)

“We got it, we lit up the Reunion Tower! It was tough, but the ball lit up is proof and now I’m just excited to be lighting up courts around the city of Dallas,” Ogunbowale said in a statement. “Obviously, I’m a basketball player and Dallas is my home, so being able to connect something that I do every night with helping the community is amazing.”

The program, which kicked off May 7, will run through the end of the regular season on August 14. Ogunbowale and Red Bull will donate up to $50,000 to the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department at the end of the season to address the city’s restoration efforts.

If Ogunbowale’s start to the season is any indication, the Wings guard will dominate from beyond the arc. The 25-year-old made four of her nine attempts from 3-point range and notched 21 points to help the Wings to an 81-71 victory over the Liberty on Sunday.

Ogunbowale was averaging 42.3 percent from behind the 3-point line through three games this season.

The Dallas Wings recorded their first win of the season Friday night, downing the Washington Mystics 94-86.

Arike Ogunbowale led the charge for the Wings, notching 27 points, with 19 of those points coming in the second frame alone. The Dallas guard sunk six threes, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Alisha Gray added to Ogunbowale’s tally, contributing 21 points of her own, while Isabelle Harrison notched a double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds.

Elena Delle Donne had 20 points for the Mystics, but the team’s 18 turnovers compared to the Wings’ nine was too much to overcome.

Washington suffered without star Natasha Cloud, who is sidelined due to health and safety protocols.

After the games, Delle Donne addressed Cloud’s absence, saying, “I hate playing without her.”

“You see it in our lulls, you see it in our lack of control sometimes and our lack of getting into things. You also see it on the defensive end,” said Delle Donne. “Tash affects the game so much and her energy is missed.”

The Wings and the Mystics will face off again on Tuesday at College Park Center in Texas.

It may come as a shock to some that Arike Ogunbowale went fifth overall to Dallas in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and not earlier.

The 2020 WNBA scoring champion and 2021 WNBA All-Star MVP has since earned the reputation as one of the most impactful players in the league.

“I mean, me being me like in my head, I know what I am going to do in the league, so that’s their loss,” Ogunbowale remembers thinking on draft night, recounting the moment to Kelley O’Hara on the latest episode of The Players’ Pod.

“I was with my parents, one of my brothers, and we were just at the table waiting to get called. I really didn’t know what number I was going to get called, so it was a surprise. The first time I talked to Dallas was the night before the draft,” Ogunbowale says. “I really thought I was going to Minnesota at six, to be honest.”

The 25-year-old has no qualms about how the draft shook out, telling O’Hara that everything turned out as it was supposed to.

“I’m always about everything happens for a reason, so I wasn’t meant to go to those places,” she says. “And I love Dallas now.”

Ogunbowale wasted no time showing why she was a top draft pick, leading the Wings with 19.1 points and 3.2 assists per game in 2019. She earned a place on the WNBA All-Rookie Team with her performance.

“I wanted to dominate,” Ogunbowale says. “After the All-Star break, something just clicked, and I was just going crazy.”

Now entering her fourth WNBA season, the guard signed a three-year, supermax contract extension with Dallas in February.

When asked who her all-time WNBA starting five would be, Ogunbowale rattle doff a number of greats, most of whom are still playing: “(Sylvia Fowles) at the five, I love her. Diana (Taurasi) at the two, Maya (Moore) at the three, Sue (Bird) at the one and Candace (Parker) at the four,” she says.

Ogunbowale cited Natasha Howard as the most underrated player in the league.

“She won championships with Seattle. She doesn’t get talked about enough, but I don’t think they could’ve won without her because she’s amazing, really,” Ogunbowale says.

She didn’t skip a beat when asked which player she would recruit, saying she wants to play with Seattle Storm forward and three-time WNBA All-Star Breanna Stewart.

As for the WNBA’s best trash talker, Ogunbowale agrees with many that Diana Taurasi holds that title. “(She) really doesn’t care what she says to anybody,” Ogunbowale says.

She also likes playing against Connecticut Sun guard Courtney Williams. “That’s my dog, but she’s always chatting,” Ogunbowale says. “I don’t trash talk, but any time I play her, I am talking because she’s just talking. So I’ve got to talk, too.”

For more on Ogunbowale’s WNBA insights, listen to her full conversation with Kelley O’Hara on The Players’ Pod.

Arike Ogunbowale’s iconic buzzer-beater to seal Notre Dame’s national championship in 2018 almost didn’t happen. Ogunbowale, now a star with the Dallas Wings, tells Kelley O’Hara on the latest episode of The Players’ Pod that she considered leaving the program after her freshman year.

“Coming in, I was a top-five player, McDonald’s All-American, you obviously have all these expectations,” she says. “And then you get there, I am coming off the bench, some games not playing. I’m like, ‘What is this?'”

Instead of entering the transfer portal, though, Ogunbowale decided to commit herself fully to improving her game and earning playing time on coach Muffet McGraw’s team.

“It’s all about trusting the process, trusting yourself, and you just really got to put the work in,” Ogunbowale tells O’Hara.

The number of players opting to transfer in women’s college basketball has reached historic highs the past two offseasons since the NCAA allowed one-time transfers to play without sitting out a season. Ogunbowale has noticed the trend and reflected on her own college journey.

“I love that kids are able to transfer, do whatever they want, but a lot of times you just got to stick through,” Ogunbowale says. “I wanted to leave my freshman year, and if I would’ve left, you never know what would’ve happened. Like, I ended up winning a national championship my junior year that might not have happened anywhere else.”

Sticking it out, Ogunbowale became a starter her sophomore year and averaged 20.8 points per game on the way to leading the Fighting Irish to the NCAA title as a junior. She hit the game-winning shot in Notre Dame’s 2018 Final Four overtime win over UConn before following it up with more heroics against Mississippi State in the championship game.

“The whole year was crazy,” Ogunbowale recalls. “We had, like, four ACL tears so we really were going like six, seven deep the whole season, which honestly, looking back, it’s a blessing because you can make a mistake and coach can’t pull you out.”

The rollercoaster year culminated in an electrifying national championship game, where Ogunbowale sunk the game-winning shot for Notre Dame. The play was actually drawn up for another Notre Dame player to take the show, Ogunbowale says, but it broke down in the moment and the ball ended up in her hands.

“It turned out good, but those three seconds felt like a lifetime literally,” she says. “Anytime I see those shots, especially around March Madness, I obviously get tagged in them a lot … and I just sit and watch it. Like wow, it was crazy.”

Listen to the latest episode of The Players’ Pod for more from Ogunbowale on her basketball journey through college, the WNBA and overseas.

Arike Ogunbowale found herself in a tense situation in early March, living in Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The 25-year-old was playing with WBC Dynamo Kursk, her overseas team since 2020, when the military conflict began. She says those closest to her in the United States quickly urged her to come home.

“Everybody is texting me like, ‘You need to get out,'” Ogunbowale tells Kelley O’Hara on the latest episode of The Players’ Pod. “Where I am in Kursk, it was pretty close to the border. Stuff is going on in the air every night.”

Eventually, Ogunbowale was able to leave Russia, right as the war was escalating.

Brittney Griner, who competed for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, has been detained in the country since late February after being arrested on suspicion of carrying hashish oil in her luggage. Many have voiced their concerns for the Phoenix Mercury star, including U.S. government officials and the WNBA commissioner.

“We continue to be working diligently on bringing Brittney Griner home,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during the WNBA Draft. “This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in. She continues to have our full support. She’s just been such a great person in the league that I can’t be any more real about the situation she’s in.”

Ogunbowale says her Russian teammates continue to compete “as if nothing is going on,” and she worries about the disinformation they’re hearing regarding the invasion.

“I just feel like there is a lot of news that is not getting fed to them that they really should know,” Ogunbowale tells O’Hara. “Listening to the conversations of what they were thinking is going on, rather than what is actually going on, is night and day, so that’s kind of sad that they’re not getting the right information of actually what is going on and what they’re doing.”

Ogunbowale has not decided whether she will return overseas to play next WNBA offseason. After signing a three-year, supermax contract to remain with the Dallas Wings through 2025, Ogunbowale sees a future where more opportunities keep her stateside in the winter.

“I think the biggest part is just building my brand more, because at the end of the day, the WNBA is four or five months and we are overseas for like seven months, and obviously there isn’t a lot of visibility over there,” she says. “Plus women’s sports is excelling right now, so it’s a great time to build your brand and be here and be visible.”

Listen to the latest episode of The Players Pod for more on Ogunbowale’s basketball career and experience playing abroad.

Friday marks the four-year anniversary of “The Shot,” the buzzer-beater with which Arike Ogunbowale sealed a title win for Notre Dame against Mississippi State.

Ogunbowale averaged 20.8 points per game that season, but two of her most important shots came in back-to-back games in the NCAA tournament. Against UConn in the Final Four, Ogunbowale nailed the go-ahead jumper to put the Irish up 91-89.

UConn’s desperation shot at the last second came up short, sending Notre Dame to the national championship.

In the national championship game, Ogunbowale delivered once again. After clawing back from a 15 point deficit, Notre Dame was tied with Mississippi State in the final seconds of regulation.

With three seconds left, Ogunbowale nailed a fade-away 3-pointer despite being well-defended. The shot won Notre Dame its first women’s basketball title since 2001.

Arike Ogunbowale is staying in Dallas, signing a multi-year contract extension with the Wings, the team announced Thursday.

Drafted fifth overall by the Dallas Wings in 2019, Ogunbowale has spent the first three years of her WNBA career with the team, finishing the 2021 season averaging 18.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

“We were proud to offer, and thrilled Arike accepted, a multi-year contract extension to remain with the Dallas Wings organization through at least the 2025 season,” Wings President & CEO Greg Bibb said in the team’s statement, “Arike has been one of the most prolific offensive players in the WNBA since she entered the League in 2019 and has delivered an all-time caliber start to her career.”

First reported by Dorothy J. Gentry of the Athletic, Ogunbowale reportedly signed a three-year, fully protected supermax contract that starts at $234,936, topping out at $249,032.

The Milwaukee native made history over the summer, becoming the third-fastest player to score 1,500 career points, reaching the landmark in 74 games. Ogunbowale also earned All-Star MVP honors after notching 26 points to down Team USA in July’s All-Star Game.

“This opportunity with the Wings is a dream come true,” Ogunbowale said, “I was excited when the Wings drafted me, and now having spent the first three years of my career here I’m proud to call Dallas home.”

Despite losing in the first round to the Chicago Sky on Thursday, the Dallas Wings have a lot to look forward to.

Satou Sabally, who made her way back Thursday after missing eight straight games with an Achilles injury, led a 21-11 third quarter run with eight points. She would finish with 12 points on the night with ESPN’s Holly Rowe reporting during the game that Sabally actually got sick in the second half as well.

Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 22 points on the night before fouling out late in the game.

Still, Ogunbowale is not getting down on herself or the team.

“With having a young team, we personally had a lot of expectations for ourselves,” she said postgame. “Obviously we expected it, but we weren’t supposed to get here. This was a big step for us. Last year we almost made it, this year we got there, now next year we’re gonna get a win.

“This is just the beginning. We have a really young team. The core is staying together. We can just use this year to think on it and just build.

“We’ve touched [the playoffs], so now it’s players that have been in the playoffs and they know what it takes. So that’s really good for next year.”

SLAM, one of the most prolific basketball storytelling brands of the past 27 years, announced Wednesday the launch of the first-ever WSLAM Magazine.

While SLAM has long told the stories of the top women’s players in the game, WSLAM will have 82 pages dedicated to the very best of women’s basketball. The magazine builds off of the success of the WSLAM vertical that launched in 2019 and now draws an online audience of 300,000 readers.

“We always had a vision of wanting to do a magazine, especially because SLAM is so cemented in the print world,” said WSLAM director Camille Buxeda. “Just in two years we were able to make that happen, so it’s been a really exciting year.”

“Our WSLAM vertical has been creating and curating amazing women’s basketball content for two years, and we’re incredibly excited to add an annual print magazine to that content slate,” Adam Figman, Chief Content Officer of SLAM, said in a release. “The magazine is filled front to back with amazing and important women’s hoops stories, and the issue is the first of a franchise that we hope continues for many years.”

SLAM’s print subscribers will receive the magazine for free. The special issue will also be available for purchase on SLAM’s ecommerce site, slamgoods.com, for $8.99. SLAM will use the same production, design and sales resources allocated to its magazine issues for WSLAM.

The goal is for WSLAM to become the one-stop shop for everything women’s basketball and culture. Buxeda has already seen a growing interest in SLAM’s women’s high school and college coverage, with many continuing to follow top recruits like Paige Bueckers as they transition to the NCAA level.

“These are superstars in the making,” Buxeda said of the high school athletes. “I think [our coverage] really allows audiences and new basketball lovers to understand who the next ones to watch are because, in the end, that’s the fandom that’s going to transfer.”

But first, the inaugural WSLAM Magazine will focus on telling the stories of players in the WNBA at the intersection of culture and basketball.

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(Courtesy of SLAM)

From a look into Tina Charles’ incredible season to a review of the Houston Comets paving the way for some of the best in women’s basketball, WSLAM highlights many of the most important moments in the WNBA’s 25-year history. The magazine also emphasizes stories that go beyond player statistics, including the WNBA’s role within social justice movements.

“It’s a little bit different from what I would say SLAM normally does, which is really focus on the now,” Buxeda said. “This is an homage to the past while looking to the present and future.”

“You gotta start somewhere,” Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields said. “I think that we do a very good job of paying homage to those that came before us. I wish that they would’ve gotten to experience this, and then I’m sure the next generation is gonna look at us and be like, ‘Dang, I wish they would’ve gotten to experience what we have.’ It’s just about the role they played, being the first.”

While the magazine may focus on the WNBA’s past, its cover features three present and future stars: DeShields, Arike Ogunbowale and Betnijah Laney.

“They really represent the faces of the next 25 years,” Buxeda said.

The players also recognize the importance of honoring those who came before them.

“They definitely paved the way for us,” Laney said. “To find ways to pay homage any way that we can … I think as we continue to evolve, we want to make sure that everybody knows what they did for the game, what we’ll do for the game and what that will mean to the players in the future to keep having the league evolve.”

Just as today’s WNBA players build on the past, Buxeda hopes that WSLAM’s print edition will inspire the next generation of women’s basketball stars.

“I think it connects people a little bit more than just reading it on a screen,” she said. “It’s a physical copy and representation that young girls can really put on their walls and say, ‘I want to be on the cover of WSLAM one day.’”

A new clause in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement is a cause for concern among the league’s top players.

WNBA All-Star Game MVP Arike Ogunbowale stopped by JWS’ Tea with A & Phee podcast to talk with Napheesa Collier about the challenges of juggling a domestic career in the WNBA with more lucrative opportunities overseas, which could be further complicated by a new league policy.

The WNBA’s CBA, agreed upon by the league and the players’ union in 2020, has a clause going into effect in 2023 stipulating that WNBA players coming back from international duty late could be penalized by their teams. If a player does not report to preseason training camp on time due to a conflict with their international team, they could be suspended for the season without pay.

“I came back two weeks already into training camp, and the seasons gonna start in like a week, so really didn’t get that much time to train,” Ogunbowale says of her start to the 2021 season with the Dallas Wings. The 24-year-old also plays for Dynamo Kursk in Russia.

The overlapping seasons often mean players who also compete abroad don’t have much of a break, if any. Ogunbowale tells Collier she plans to have only “ten or something days” off between the end of the WNBA season and her return to Russia.

When asked by Collier about the CBA’s impending restrictions on international play, Ogunbowale expressed concern.

“That’s tough, especially for players who can make a lot of money overseas like us,” she says. “Like, that is cutting into primetime playoff and championship, and that’s honestly when they really need you.”

Ogunbowale says she still doesn’t know what will happen when she and other players are forced to choose between competing overseas and staying in the WNBA.

“If the WNBA paid as much as overseas then I would do that, but that’s not the case, so we’ll have to see,” she says.

“I think they’re going to be surprised how many people choose not to play in the WNBA,” Collier adds, “because for a lot of people, it’s not like you make enough to live off that for the rest of the year.”

Ogunbowle says that the decision for veteran players like Diana Taurasi is less complicated, but for “people like us, we have more decisions because we’re young. Like, this is primetime you’re getting good contracts.”

On top of the international decision, Ogunbowale and Collier were a part of the last WNBA draft class to fall under the old CBA in 2019. That means their salaries in their third year of WNBA service are significantly lower than they will be for the current crop of young players.

“We are the last year of the old CBA, like the rookies getting more than us,” Ogunbowale says. “It’s just actually sad.”

Listen to Collier’s full conversation with Ogunbowale here.