In the United States women’s basketball team’s July 20 game against the WNBA all-stars, the best player on the court in Phoenix wasn’t wearing red, white or blue.
In a matchup featuring the 24 best players in the world, nobody shined brighter than Arike Ogunbowale.
In Team WNBA’s 117-109 victory, the Dallas Wings guard and former Notre Dame standout scored a game-high 34 points, breaking a WNBA all-star game record. She was efficient in doing so, too, making 10 of her 20 shots and eight of her 13 3-pointers while also dishing out six assists.
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Ogunbowale’s performance raised a natural and understandable question: If she’s able to be the clear star of a squad that beats the American Olympic team, then why isn’t she on Team USA?
With the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris underway, and with the Americans going for their eighth-consecutive gold medal, here’s a look at why Ogunbowale isn’t on the Team USA roster:
Why isn’t Arike Ogunbowale on Team USA?
When the Team USA women’s basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics was unveiled in June, much of the debate around the 12-player roster was about Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever rookie and reigning two-time national college player of the year.
The discussion went beyond basketball, with some fans and media members arguing that women’s basketball, at a time of rapidly increasing popularity, should have capitalized on the moment and included its most marketable star on a team that will be competing on the world’s stage.
Lost in that chatter was that Clark wasn’t the only WNBA standout who could be viewed as a snub. To many who closely follow the sport, there was an even bigger exclusion.
Ogunbowale, a four-time WNBA all-star who’s in her sixth season in the league, was also left off the squad. At the time the Team USA roster was released, Ogunbowale was the second-leading scorer in the league. By the time the All-Star break came around, she was the only one of the WNBA’s top six scorers who was not on Team USA. In each of her five full professional seasons, Ogunbowale has finished among the top five scorers in the WNBA.
She’s more than just a bucket-getter, too, as her 5.2 assists per game were eighth among all WNBA players entering the All-Star break, while her 2.7 steals per game were first.
So why was she not selected to represent the United States at the Olympics?
Like Clark, she was partially the victim of a numbers game. Team USA already has a glut of guards and ball-handlers, most of whom are either more decorated than Ogunbowale or have more international playing experience. Seven of the 12 players on the roster are guards.
The reasons also go beyond basic roster management and balance.
In an interview with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Gilbert Arenas on their podcast, “Nightcap,” shortly after the Team USA roster was announced, Ogunbowale said that she withdrew her name from the USA Basketball player pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Me being me, I just felt the vibes,” she said on the podcast. “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.”
Ogunbowale added that she believed she was “good enough” to have made the team, but felt there were “subjective” barometers when determining who made the final cut.
“Whether that’s USA Basketball, whether that’s All-Star teams, whether that’s first team, and stuff like that, there’s politics … even with the men’s (basketball teams),” she said. “There’s politics in everything, so I’m gonna just leave it at that.”
Even after her team was defeated by Ogunbowale in the All-Star game, Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve didn’t seem particularly worried about leaving the stellar guard off her roster.
“Is Arike playing for any of these teams that we’re going to play?” Reeve said in her postgame news conference, to laughter from the assembled media.
REQUIRED READING:Dawn Staley: Caitlin Clark would be in ‘high consideration’ for Olympics if repicking Team USA
Arike Ogunbowale stats
At the All-Star break, Ogunbowale was averaging 22.3 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game while shooting 35.7% from the field and 34% from 3.
For her career, she is averaging 20.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 39% overall and 35% from beyond the arc.
Team USA women’s basketball roster for 2024 Paris Olympics
With Ogunbowale standing as perhaps the most notable exclusion, here are the 12 players the United States will be sending to compete for the women’s basketball national team in the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Players are listed alphabetically, along with their position and their WNBA team.
F Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
G Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury
G Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
C Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
G Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
G Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm
G Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces
F Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
G Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
F Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
C A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
G Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
