Arike Ogunbowale, the American basketball player of Nigerian descent, was voted the most valuable player (MVP) of the 2024 WNBA all-star game following her team WNBA 117 – 109 victory over Team USA at Footprint Center, Phoenix, in the early hours of Sunday.

Ogunbowale had zero points in the first half before posting a record 34 points in the second half of the keenly contested encounter against the Olympics-bound Team USA.

The Dallas Wings sharpshooter converted eight of 13 three-pointers en route to the MVP award; the second after claiming her first honour in 2021.

Her latest MVP award sees her join the trio of Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore, and Swin Cash as the only players with multiple MVPs in the all-star games.

Ogunbowale scored 21 points in the third quarter — which is the most points in a single quarter in WNBA all-star game history.

She also added five assists in a blistering second-half performance.

Speaking after the match, Ogunbowale said an inspiring half-time team talk by coach Cheryl Miller was the catalyst for her record-breaking performance.

“I wasn’t expecting her [coach Miller] to say my name. She just told me to take a deep breath and play my game,” she said.

“I guess you guys saw what happened.”

Ogunbowale has always finished as a top-five shooter in the WNBA since her draft pick to the Dallas Wings in 2019. She has featured in over 180 games in her five-year WNBA history.

WHO IS ARIKE OGUNBOWALE?

Arike was born to Nigerian parents Yolanda and Gregory Ogunbowale on March 2, 1997, in Milwaukee, the United States. The 27-year-old is the youngest of three children.

The basketball star is of Yoruba descent and her name means “a child you treasure, cherish, pamper, and love” in the Yoruba language. Her father served in the Nigerian military.

[TheCable]