WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale was arrested Thursday night on a battery charge after she allegedly punched a security guard at a Miami nightclub during a celebration following her team’s Unrivaled basketball championship, according to reports from Fox Sports and TMZ Sports.
Ms. Ogunbowale, 29, a Dallas Wings guard and four-time WNBA All-Star, was among the players from Mist BC celebrating their 80-74 championship victory over Phantom BC at Club E11EVEN in Miami on Wednesday, the night the title was clinched. She had scored 19 points in the championship game.
Fox Sports reporter Andy Slater first broke news of the arrest Friday morning, reporting that police sources told him Ms. Ogunbowale punched a man in the face, knocking him to the ground, and that the incident was captured on camera.
TMZ Sports subsequently confirmed the report and obtained the complaint. According to the complaint, officers were notified of a physical altercation inside E11EVEN and, upon approaching the rear exit, found a large crowd being escorted out by security. The alleged victim told police he had been attempting to escort Ms. Ogunbowale out of the club due to a separate, unrelated altercation when she struck him in the face with a closed fist, causing him to fall to the ground. The alleged victim identified Ms. Ogunbowale on the scene, and she was taken into custody without incident on a battery charge.
Social media footage showed Ms. Ogunbowale partying with fellow players Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James prior to the incident.
E11EVEN Miami declined to comment on Ms. Ogunbowale specifically but released a statement acknowledging the venue hosted the official Unrivaled championship after-party.
“We remain committed to providing a world-class environment that reflects the energy, excitement, and prestige of those moments,” a club spokesperson said.
Beyond her Unrivaled title, Ms. Ogunbowale is a two-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP who led the league in scoring in 2020. She also won an NCAA championship at Notre Dame.
Neither Ms. Ogunbowale nor her representatives had issued a public statement as of the time of publication.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
