WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale arrested for allegedly punching man at nightclub

A decorated WNBA player has gotten herself into some trouble with the law this week.

Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale was arrested for alleged battery on Thursday at Club E11EVEN, a nightclub in Miami, Fla. Miami-area sportswriter Andy Slater reports that Ogunbowale allegedly punched a man in the face, causing him to fall to the ground (with the incident reportedly being caught on camera).

TMZ Sports shared further details about Ogunbowale’s arrest. Ogunbowale was at the club to celebrate her team, Mist BC, winning the 2026 Unrivaled championship on Wednesday. The man in question was a security guard, whom Ogunbowale allegedly struck with a closed fist while he was supposedly trying to escort Ogunbowale’s group out of the nightclub due to an unrelated altercation.

Ogunbowale, 29, is a four-time WNBA All-Star, a three-time All-WNBA selection and a one-time WNBA scoring champion (in 2020). She has spent her entire WNBA career with the Wings and was also twice named WNBA All-Star Game MVP (in 2021 and 2024).

On top of that, college basketball fans are very familiar with Ogunbowale as well. She was a four-year standout at Notre Dame from 2015-19 and even led to the school to the national championship in 2018 with a miracle shot at the buzzer against Mississippi State in the title game.

The 5-foot-8 Ogunbowale had been playing in the Unrivaled league during the WNBA offseason (with the WNBA currently uncertain to return for their 2026 season because of stalled negotiations on a new collective-bargaining agreement). Mist BC beat Phantom BC in the championship game of the league’s second season on Wednesday with Breanna Stewart leading the way with 32 points and Ogunbowale chipping in 19 points of her own.