Arike Ogunbowale has been one of the mainstays of the Dallas Wings for a long time now. Putting up some incredible performances over the year, the Wings’ star has proved her worth as one of the top draws of the league. Back in July, when the Wings pulled off a shock victory over the New York Liberty, Ogunbowale set a WNBA turnover record, which was the first of its kind.
However, with a new season coming up, the Wings are likely to make a tough decision regarding the 28-year-old. The Dallas Wings had one of the worst seasons this year. Finishing last, the team is expected to go through a plethora of changes before the next year. And Ogunbowale might be one of the changes that are incoming.
Is This The End Of The Road For Arike Ogunbowale And Dallas Wings?
The Wings were desperate for a change in fortune this year. That’s why, right at the start, the front office parted ways with their former coach, Latricia Trammell, and roped in Chris Koclanes. Unfortunately, with injuries wreaking havoc, Wings even faced a WNBA forfeit risk. Now, as the team looks to rebuild, they face a big question. Will the Wings be parting ways with Ogunbowale?
Now then, the relationship between the two runs quite deep. The 28-year-old joined the team back in 2019 as the number 5 overall draft pick. And since then, she has been the face of Wings. That is, until now, when Paige Bueckers took the league by storm and is currently a Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
Rookies with multiple 35-point games:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 21, 2025
— Arike Ogunbowale
— Cynthia Cooper
— Paige Bueckers
The only rookies to do it in league history. pic.twitter.com/WBRj5fYO9q
Ogunbowale appeared in 29 games this season before retiring on August 10, owing to a knee tendinitis injury. Moreover, she also had the lowest scoring average at 15.5 points per game. On the contrary, she will be turning 29 next year. Thus, her prime is not over yet. Surely, the Wings will have a really tough decision to make. Meanwhile, despite her recent slump, Ogunbowale earned a lot of praise.
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Arike Ogunbowale Gets Lauded For Her Adaptability
Ogunbowale is in her seventh season with the Wings. And over the years, she has witnessed a lot of changes to the dynamics of the team. She has served as the pivot point of several rebuilding phases of the team. In fact, looking at her skill set, the Wings’ front office moved forward with making her the face of the team and also paid her the highest salary. Unfortunately, the rosy story came to a stop this season. With Ogunbowale struggling, the team, too, had a slump. But despite the poor showing, Bleacher Report’s Nikias Duncan had words of praise for the Wings’ star.
“She’s been very willing to both operate off the ball and simply get off the ball when she doesn’t have anything. A quick example: She’s averaging 2.9 dribbles per touch since the All-Star break, slightly down from her pre-break number (3.4) and a massive departure from last season’s mark (4.0). It also helps that she’s cashing in jumpers now, notably knocking down 37.5 per cent of her catch-and-shoot threes,” Duncan wrote in her article.
Thus, the situation around Ogunbowale is looking pretty tricky. Fans will now be eager to find out what her future would look like with the Dallas Wings.