Arike Ogunbowale’s path from Milwaukee to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings is rooted in a Nigerian-American family that placed sport and discipline at the centre of daily life. Her parents raised her in a household deeply tied to Yoruba heritage, with her first name, Arike, a traditional Yoruba name meaning “something that you see and cherish.” The family attended a local Nigerian church and gathered at community picnics that ran late into the evening.
Her father, Gregory Ogunbowale, grew up in Nigeria, where he played competitive soccer and rugby before serving in the Nigerian military. He later moved to the United States for higher education, supporting himself by driving a taxi while studying, and went on to serve as principal of Washington High School of Information Technology in Milwaukee. He coached Arike in soccer as a young child, instilling respect and discipline from an early age.
Her mother, Yolanda Ogunbowale, was a three-sport athlete in high school in volleyball, basketball and softball, and pitched for DePaul University’s softball team, the Blue Demons. Yolanda was Arike’s first basketball coach, teaching her the basic rules, footwork and passing. She also keeps a strict pre-game ritual, requiring Arike to call before every match.
Arike is the youngest of three children and grew up playing rough games with her two older brothers. Her brother Dare Ogunbowale attended the University of Wisconsin as a walk-on cornerback before switching to running back, earning a scholarship and captaincy, and later played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans.
