Phoenix, Az— At halftime of Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game, Arike Ogunbowale was scoreless and Team WNBA trailed by two points. Coach Cheryl Miller made a surprising decision to call out Ogunbowale in the locker room.
“I wasn’t expecting her to say my name,” Ogunbowale said. “She just told me to take a deep breath and play my game.”
That advice proved pivotal.
Ogunbowale exploded for 34 points, setting a WNBA All-Star Game record and earning her second All-Star Game MVP award. Her performance led Team WNBA to a 117-109 victory over Team USA before a crowd of 16,407 at Footprint Center.
“I guess you guys saw what happened,” Ogunbowale said.
Miller’s encouragement sparked a remarkable turnaround. Ogunbowale scored 21 points in the third quarter — the highest single-quarter total in WNBA All-Star Game history — mirroring the success Team WNBA had three years ago when they first defeated Team USA under the WNBA-USA Basketball format. Ogunbowale had also been named MVP in the 2021 game after a 26-point performance.
Following the game, Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve humorously remarked about Ogunbowale, saying, “It felt like we were guarding somebody from the NBA.”
Earlier this year, Ogunbowale withdrew her name from consideration for the U.S. women’s national team. Reeve continued her jest during the postgame press conference, asking, “Is Arike playing for any of these teams that we’re going to play?” to laughter from the room.
Ogunbowale’s 34 points were the second-highest scoring total in any half in WNBA history, behind only Riquna Williams, who scored 35 points in the second half of a 2013 regular-season game for the Tulsa Shock.
With this performance, Ogunbowale joined an elite group as the fourth player to earn multiple WNBA All-Star Game MVP awards, alongside Lisa Leslie and Maya Moore, who each have three, and Swin Cash, who has two.
“Those are three greats, people who paved the way for players like us,” Ogunbowale said. “That’s definitely dope to be in that conversation.”
Ogunbowale’s stellar play capped a historic All-Star Game. Breanna Stewart became the first player to record 30 points and 10 rebounds in a WNBA All-Star Game, while Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese became the first rookie to achieve a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
For Team USA, A’ja Wilson led with 22 points, Diana Taurasi added 14, and Brittney Griner contributed 10.
On Team WNBA, Allisha Gray scored 16 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 14, and Kelsey Mitchell chipped in 13. Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who had the most All-Star Game votes, had 10 assists, falling just short of Sue Bird’s record.
Clark addressed the question of whether the win was vindication for being left off the Olympic team, saying, “No. I mean, they’re really good. They had plenty of talent on that team. It’s the same three years prior. Team WNBA beat Team USA then too.”
Clark and Reese connected in the fourth quarter, with Clark setting up Reese for a layup, and the two high-fived as they went down the court.
“I thought that they were professional, like anyone at this level would be,” said Team WNBA forward Ogwumike about Reese and Clark. “It was really fun to see them playing together tonight. I hope they had fun, which I think they did, and they helped us win too.”
Reese, who had a record-setting 15 consecutive double-doubles earlier this season, notched another in the All-Star Game with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Clark, who struggled with her shot, finished with only four points but made a significant impact with her passing. Her 10 assists came one shy of Sue Bird’s All-Star Game record.
Team USA’s coach Reeve expressed frustration over her team’s performance, stating, “We have work to do and we know that. Sometimes adversity is good. I don’t think we needed a game like this, per se — we know what we need to do.”
Two-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting, while A’ja Wilson contributed 22 points and six rebounds.
