Arike Ogunbowale On Her Postgame Routine, Recovery Tips, & Cravings

On and off the court, Arike Ogunbowale is making a difference. The four-time WNBA All-Star recently teamed up with El Pollo Loco to help “Bring the Fire” to five deserving schools by giving each of them $2,000 worth of equipment, which she believes will provide “the best possible situation for young athletes.”

The biggest lesson she took from her time in school to now playing professionally is to pay it forward when you can. “We had a lot of fundraisers and people would always give back to us and just allow for us to do fun stuff,” the 28-year-old basketball star, who plays guard for the Dallas Wings alongside Paige Bueckers, tells Elite Daily. Working with the restaurant chain is a way for Ogunbowale to give back in a similar fashion.

Of course, the brand’s delectable offerings don’t hurt either. Her go-to order right now: the fire-grilled chicken. “I want to get that protein, grain, lettuce, and then you can add salsa if you need to enhance it,” she says. “It’s filling and healthy.” Ogunbowale isn’t always down to eat right after she steps off the court, though. “With the adrenaline and how much energy you had to exert, it takes me a while to get hungry.”

When she gets home, that’s when the Unrivaled player starts craving a little something. Below, Ogunbowale dishes on what she likes to eat at the end of the day, along with the rest of her wind-down routine after a big game.

Elite Daily: Walk me through your typical postgame ritual.

Arike Ogunbowale: Usually, I’ll see my family who’s at the game, and then get some treatment or lift. I like to take an ice bath, get some food in me, and rest. If it’s a win and we have a day off, I might go somewhere, but I usually just go home.

ED: Other than an ice bath, what are some of your favorite recovery rituals after an intense workout?

AO: I’m a big massage person the next day. When I get home, though, if I’m just watching TV, I’ll get in the Normatec boots.

I like a little drama for the night because my life is peaceful.

ED: What do you like to watch on TV when you’re relaxing?

AO: If my fiancée and I are watching a series, we’ll get into that. I like reality TV, so I watch Selling Sunset, Love Is Blind, or Ultimatum. I like a little drama for the night because my life is peaceful.

ED: Your brother, Dare Ogunbowale, is also a professional athlete — in the NFL. Do you ever share recovery tips with each other?

AO: I’ve gotten so much information from him in my career that I couldn’t even begin to know where to start, but he shares pre-workouts, off-season workouts, and postgame tips that he does or that his football team does that have helped him.

ED: Have your postgame rituals changed from your college days at the University of Notre Dame to now?

AO: For sure. In college, you don’t really care too much about prioritizing sleep or getting your legs up. You’re always ready to go, go, go. Now, if I know we might have a hard stretch coming up, I like to get off my feet, elevate them, go to the house, and do Normatec or stretch before I go to bed.

ED: Do you unwind differently after a WNBA game versus an Unrivaled game?

AO: Unrivaled games are a lot shorter and it’s a lot less minutes, so I have more energy to do a harder lift afterward. Plus, we play only on the weekends. In the WNBA, we will play almost every other day, so it’s hard to get your legs super tired by doing a lift.

ED: Do you do anything in the locker room afterward?

AO: I do the ice bath there, I’ll see the trainer if I have anything I need, maybe get a flush or something, and do a lift at the gym. I’m at the gym for a while after the game.

ED: When you get home, what are you usually craving?

AO: Something good. I like to eat fairly decently. El Pollo Loco is actually so dope, because they’ll have chicken and lettuce, but you can also get sweet treats like churros. It’s the best of both worlds.

ED: Do you ever listen to music afterward?

AO: There’s so much music being played at the game and in the locker room. I like quiet after the games, but if I am listening to music, it’s probably something slow like R&B to wind down.

ED: Do you ever do anything with your team after a game?

AO: If we have a couple of off days, we might go out. Early on in my career, I definitely was doing a lot more than versus now. I like to just go home.

ED: What are some ways that you deal with a game that didn’t go the way you planned?

AO: I’ll just watch film and see what things could be changed for the next game. When it’s the WNBA season, you don’t really have too much time to sulk because you have another game in 48 hours.

We have so many games that it’s kind of hard to celebrate every one that you win.

ED: What are some ways that you like to celebrate when you win?

AO: We have so many games that it’s kind of hard to celebrate every one that you win. It’s like, great job, time to move forward and get better.

ED: Who is the first person you want to text or call after a game?

AO: My fiance, but she’s always at the games anyway. After her, it’s my brother and my parents.

ED: What are you manifesting for the rest of 2026?

AO: Just being better than 2025, that’s always the goal. Peaceful life, good basketball, good vibes, staying healthy, and my family staying healthy.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.