Dallas Wings guards Paige Bueckers (left) and Arike Ogunbowale celebrate a teammates three-pointer during the second half at College Park Center in Arlington, September 17, 2026.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
Many Dallas Wings fans wanted Arike Ogunbowale to walk away.
They’ve called for an Ogunbowale trade since last WNBA season and even lamented the veteran guard re-signing with the team on a two-year deal in free agency.
They had hoped the Wings would fully commit to building around 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, the other half of the “Parike” backcourt duo, and move on from the player who has been loyal to Dallas since she entered the league in 2019 as a first-round draft pick.
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But if that happened, maybe the No. 7-seeded Wings wouldn’t have been just a few points shy of pulling off the biggest upset of the season.
In an ironic twist, it was Ogunbowale who became the hero of the Wings’ hard-fought best-of-three first round series with the No. 2-seeded Golden State Valkyries. The guard combined for 75 points in Game 2 and Game 3, exploding for a WNBA playoff record 45 points in the former to keep the Wings’ historic season alive.
While Ogunbowale, who averaged 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 2026, didn’t show up consistently throughout the season, her veteran leadership shined during the Wings’ first postseason run since 2023 — and not just on the court.,
Ogunbowale comforted a distraught Bueckers on the podium after Friday’s heartbreaking loss and answered most of the questions in the postgame news conference as the second-year player coped with the emotional moment.
But Bueckers insisted on addressing one question — and it was about her bond with Ogunbowale.
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“Arike has meant the world to me just in terms of her being able to sacrifice, accept me with open arms and take me under her wing,” Bueckers said through tears. “She’s held it down through the ups and downs, the highs and lows of Dallas basketball.”
While the season didn’t end how the Wings wanted it to, it was a historic year for Dallas, which finished 27-17 and secured the most wins in franchise history. A lottery team the last two seasons, the Wings achieved the best single-season turnaround in WNBA history after finishing 10-34 in 2025, when Dallas drafted Bueckers No. 1 overall.
Bueckers commended Ogunbowale, a high-volume shooter and longtime face of the Wings, on sacrificing her play style and position on the team to make room for another star upon her arrival. In 2026, Ogunbowale took less money so that Dallas could build the best possible roster.
“I saw the vision playing with a generational player like Paige and everybody we got in the offseason,” Ogunbowale said postgame Friday. “We knew this would be a good year.”
Ogunbowale’s willingness to defer showed throughout the season, as she averaged a career-low 12.3 shots per game. But she took over when Dallas needed her most.
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“You guys have seen how the analytics and the numbers compared to Arike this year and all the previous years for her,” Wings coach Jose Fernandez said postgame Friday. “She needed to adapt and change in regards to a brand new system and offense.”
The 2026 Wings
The 2026 Wings included rookie Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick, and free agent signees Alysha Clark, Jessica Shepard, Odyssey Sims and Alanna Smith. Dallas also welcomed back Awak Kuier, a 2021 Wings draftee who returned to the team this year after two seasons playing overseas.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35) tries to dribble past New York Liberty guard Marine Fauthoux (4) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Arlington.
Steve Nurenberg/The Dallas Morning News
Fudd, a prolific three-point shooter and the Wings’ strongest perimeter defender, sat out the playoff run due to injury. As did Smith, the Wings’ best interior defender.
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While a right knee injury took Fudd out in the back half of the season, Smith missed much more time due to various injuries and never got the chance to fully showcase in Dallas what made her the 2025 co-defensive player of the year.
Kuier, on a one-year deal, stepped up in relief of the two starters, averaging 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. But Dallas could have used even more post depth.
Smith, tied with Ogunbowale for highest-paid on the roster, was one of two main targets for Dallas in free agency. The other was Shepard, who led the league in triple-doubles in 2026 and was named the WNBA Most Improved Player.
Shepard, also on a million dollar contract, struggled on defense throughout the season and combined for four points in the first two games of the Wings’ first round series.
Clark and Sims, who have each been in the league for 10-plus years, brought veteran leadership to the team and each had big individual moments throughout the season, though they didn’t play consistently off the bench. Neither did 2025 returners Aziaha James, Maddy Siegrist and Li Yueru.
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The disparity between the Wings’ first and second units, especially when the former was struck with injuries, led to heavy minutes for Ogunbowale and Bueckers, who averaged 20.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists during her sophomore season.
She carried the Wings on knees plagued by chronic patellar tendinitis that flared up during her gold medal run with the USA Basketball women’s national team at the FIBA World Cup last month.
Dallas gave max effort in its last two games against Golden State and could have won the series with the right personnel — and if the starters weren’t so gassed.
While the Wings outperformed expectations with the roster they had, the organization will have to keep building to compete for a championship. That means players must get healthy and moves must be made in the offseason.
Guard-heavy Dallas could maybe use another defensive-minded post player.
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Breaking up Parike?
Ogunbowale said postgame Friday she knew change was coming for the Wings — who have mostly struggled since moving to North Texas 10 years ago — after the 2025 draft.
“I knew we were on the right trajectory when we got Paige. I mean generational player,” Ogunbowale said postgame. “She willed us throughout the whole season.”
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (left) laughs on the bench with guard Arike Ogunbowale during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Las Vegas Aces at College Park Center on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Arlington, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
The love and respect Bueckers and Ogunbowale have for each other could not be denied on Friday night as they shared laughs at the podium following a tough loss.
It was a moment of catharsis that broke through some of the heaviness — and Bueckers’ tears.
“I appreciate Arike. I love Arike,” Bueckers said. “Obviously you saw in the playoffs, but we wouldn’t be where we are without her. I’m forever indebted to her and forever grateful for our relationship.”
Friday night’s outing, however, continued a trend. Ogunbowale thrived, while Bueckers struggled to find her shot against the league’s top defense.
It’s been rare that Bueckers and Ogunbowale have clicked on the same day. Many remain unconvinced their play styles match each other. As Bueckers noted, Ogunbowale has had to sacrifice her basketball identity the last two seasons to make room for her.
And with the addition of Fudd, who won a national championship in 2025 alongside Bueckers at UConn, the backcourt is a little crowded. When Fudd was still active, Dallas utilized a three-guard starting lineup that included the rookie, Bueckers and Ogunbowale.
But the two-guard lineup seemed to work better, calling into question if there’s enough room for that much starpower in the backcourt.
The championship-minded Wings have decisions to make this offseason. And some of them might hurt.