PHOENIX — The last time the U.S. women’s national team ignored Arike Ogunbowale, she paid the price on the basketball court.
Three years later, things have changed a bit, but the mission remains the same.
The 27-year-old Ogunbowale will again not represent his country at the upcoming Paris Olympics, but he was not completely overlooked, having withdrawn his name from consideration months ago. The Dallas Wings guard said in a podcast earlier this summer that there was a “political” element to the U.S. team selection process.
Ogunbowale did not hide his sentiments on Friday but said it was not a reason to withdraw early from the electoral process.
“Women’s basketball in general and a lot of things are political,” she said. “I just made the decision that I thought was right and I’m going to take advantage of the time off and rest.”
The 5-foot-8 guard will take a few weeks off before leading the WNBA All-Star team against Team USA on Saturday during All-Star Weekend. In a game with a similar format in 2021, Ogunbowale scored 26 points to lead her team to a 93-85 victory and was named the game MVP, showing the US team that they still have work to do.
Ogunbowale said his MVP performance three years ago was a great moment and he hopes he can win it again this Saturday, but he doesn’t see this year’s game as some kind of redemption.
“I don’t think we have to prove anything because we’re here and we’re all-stars,” she said, “but they’re a little bit nervous because they’re going to Paris. They’ve been training and this is like a practice match. It’s more of a competitive atmosphere. Obviously, they want to win and go to the Olympics.”
“We’re competitors too. We want to win because we want to win.”
Ogun-Bowell is in her sixth season in the WNBA and is a four-time All-Star. She is averaging 22.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists this year. Though she’s not playing for the U.S. team, she said she’s not complaining about being able to take part in the league’s showcase weekend.
“It’s never guaranteed,” Ogunbowale said, “The league gets better and better every year, so you just have to step up your game. Whenever I get the call, it’ll be special.”
Ogunbowale and the rest of the WNBA All-Stars will be coached by women’s basketball legend Cheryl Miller, and Miller, 60, said it’s clear the players are ready to compete.
“I found out the team I was coaching was going to beat our country’s Olympic team,” Miller said. “I thought, ‘OK, the pressure’s on. Let’s play.'”
After being crowned the 2021 MVP, Ogunbowale has begun to walk the noble path.
“I think this shows that all 144 players (in the WNBA) are good,” she said at the time. “We wanted to get the U.S. National Team ready for Tokyo. They represent all of us.”
In addition to Ogunbowale, rookies Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese were also named to the WNBA All-Star team this year, but neither made the national team. Clark’s exclusion from the national team was widely criticized, especially given her immense popularity in women’s basketball.
Ogunbowale said he expects that with Clark and Reese on the team, the WNBA team could be as popular as the U.S. team when it shows up in Phoenix on Saturday.
“I’m a fan of basketball in general,” Ogunbowale said. “Kelsey, Kaitlyn, Angel, Nyika, K-Mac, everyone on the team has something they’re good at, and that’s why they’re all-stars. I love watching them play even when we’re not opponents, but just being a part of their team and playing with them is awesome.”
Ogunbowale said she’s ready to be the star on Saturday, but only if necessary, and she’s confident any of the 12 players on her team can deliver if the game comes down to the final blow.
“We have the luxury of knowing whoever gets the ball will probably score,” Ogunbowale said. “We have great players. We’ll let anybody take a shot. I’ll take a shot, if that guy’s in good form that day.”
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