Arike Ogunbowale

As one of the most clutch players in the league, Ogunbowale has the ability to take over any game with her fearless scoring ability. She has established herself as one of the premier bucket-getters in the WNBA and showed it early on throughout her collegiate career as well. Her versatility makes her an extremely tough cover for defenders, and as one of the best three-level scorers in the league, she is capable of putting up points from deep, mid-range, and at the rim. As a dangerous three-point shooter, she can shoot off the catch or off the dribble. She has averaged 20.6 points throughout her career with a 3-point shooting percentage of 35. Another part of her shooting ability is that she can hit contested 3s, which adds a lethal dimension to her offensive game.

One of Arike’s defining traits is her talent for creating her own shot. Her fast first step and advancied ball-handling skills allow her to break down defenders in isolation or off the pick-and-roll. With her array of crossovers and hesitations, she keeps defenders off balance and constantly worried about which way she is going. Using her step-back jumper, she is capable of getting separation, and that has become a signature move in her game. Her knack for getting a clean and open look against tight defenders has made her one of the top isolation players in the league. She can navigate tight spaces and initiate offense for herself and her team through her ball-handling. Her ball control and agility make her a tough cover if she is attacking the rim or pulling up for a jumper. Her speed is unteachable, and so is her conditioning. She can run up and down the court at full speed in the game, barely looking out of breath. The Dallas Wings can always lean on her to have fresh legs at any time throughout the game.

At the age of 27, Ogunbowale already has a stacked resume filled with notable achievements. It all started when she was an NCAA champion in 2018 with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where she led the team and became famous for her clutch performances. She hit back-to-back game-winning shots in the Final Four with a game-winning 3-pointer against UConn in the semifinals and a game-winning buzzer-beater against Mississippi State in the championship game. From her magnificent performance, she won Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 NCAA Tournament while also becoming Notre Dame’s All-Time leading scorer with 2,626 points. During her rookie season in the WNBA, she was the Rookie of the Year runner-up finishing as one of the league's top scorers in her debut season. The next season in 2020, she led the WNBA in scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game and becoming the youngest player to win the scoring title. She has been selected for four All-Star Games, where she set the WNBA All-Star Game record with 34 points to earn her second All-Star Game MVP.