Arike Ogunbowale scores 34 vs Team USA, wins WNBA All-Star Game MVP

Despite being one of the top five scorers in the WNBA this season, Arike Ogunbowale was not among the 12 players selected for the United States women’s basketball team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

On Saturday night, the Dallas Wings guard and former Notre Dame star showed in as emphatic of a way as she could have that her omission might have been a mistake.

Playing against the team she didn’t make, Ogunbowale torched Team USA in Saturday night’s WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, scoring a game-high 34 points as Team WNBA defeated the American Olympic squad 117-109. Ogunbowale’s 34 points were an all-star game record.

REQUIRED READING:Arike Ogunbowale plays spoiler to Team USA for second straight year at All-Star Game

She was not just productive but efficient, making 10 of her 20 shot attempts, including a remarkable eight of 13 3-pointers. She also had six assists on a night in which she had several highlight-reel-worthy plays.

For her efforts, she was named the all-star game MVP.

While much of the debate around the Team USA roster has centered around Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who also failed to make the squad, Ogunbowale was likely the bigger snub.

Heading into the WNBA all-star break, she was averaging 22.3 points, 5.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. She’s third among all WNBA players in scoring. Of the league’s top six scorers, she’s the only one who didn’t make the Olympic team.

Last month, Ogunbowale said in a podcast interview with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Gilbert Arenas that she removed her name from the Team USA player pool “months ago” and that there’s “politics” with the selection of the final Olympic roster.

“Me being me, I just felt the vibes,” she said. “When it comes to (the Olympic trials), it really doesn’t have much to do with your game. It’s really about who they feel fits with the team.”

Saturday night wasn’t the first time Ogunbowale has balled out against Team USA in the WNBA All-Star Game, either.

In the weeks leading up to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, Ogunbowale scored 26 points and earned game MVP honors in the WNBA All-Star Team’s 93-85 victory against Team USA.