Four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale was arrested early Thursday morning outside of a nightclub in Miami, Florida after police say she punched a man.
Ogunbowale, 29, was charged with battery — a misdemeanor — and released after posting a $1,000 bond, according to Miami-Dade court records. Ogunbowale was arrested at 4:22 a.m., hours after her team, Mist BC, won the Unrivaled championship in Miami.
The Dallas Wings, the team Ogunbowale has played for since she was drafted fifth overall in 2019 out of Notre Dame, did not offer any details about her arrest.
“The Wings are aware of an incident involving Arike Ogunbowale and are in the process of gathering more information,” the Wings said in a statement provided to USA Today Sports. “Further comments will be provided once we have more details.”
According to the arrest report, a copy of which was obtained by USA Today Sports, the responding officer was working an extra duty detail at E11EVAN, a nightclub in Miami. Security personnel for the club flagged the officer down and he exited his vehicle to investigate.
The victim told police he was trying to escort Ogunbowale out of the club “due to an unrelated altercation” and she punched him “in the face with a closed fist, causing him to fall to the ground,” according to the police report. It’s unclear based on the police report if the victim worked security for the club.
After the responding officer reviewed security camera footage confirmed the victim’s statements, Ogunbowale was taken into custody without incident.
Breanna Stewart, who cofounded Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 professional league based in Miami, said: On Arike: ‘I have no comments on that right now. Just really happy that Arike is safe and OK and anything else will have to be figured out with Unrivaled.’
Ogunbowale led Notre Dame to a national championship in 2018 and has since made a name for herself as an elite scorer in the WNBA. She has finished in the top 10 of MVP voting three times, has twice been named MVP of the All-Star Game, was the WNBA scoring champion in 2020 and led the league in steals in 2024. Across her seven-year career with the Dallas Wings, she averages 19.9 points, 4.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
