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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.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Many Dallas Wings<\/a> fans wanted Arike Ogunbowale<\/a> to walk away.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve called for an Ogunbowale trade since last WNBA season and even lamented the veteran guard re-signing with the team<\/a> on a two-year deal in free agency.<\/p>\n They had hoped the Wings would fully commit to building around 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers<\/a>, the other half of the \u201cParike\u201d 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But if that happened, maybe the No. 7-seeded Wings wouldn\u2019t have been just a few points shy of pulling off the biggest upset of the season<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an ironic twist, it was Ogunbowale who became the hero of the Wings\u2019 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<\/a> and Game 3, exploding for a WNBA playoff record 45 points in the former to keep the Wings\u2019 historic season alive.<\/p>\n While Ogunbowale, who averaged 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 2026, didn\u2019t show up consistently throughout the season, her veteran leadership shined during the Wings\u2019 first postseason run since 2023 \u2014 and not just on the court.,<\/p>\n Ogunbowale comforted a distraught Bueckers<\/a> on the podium after Friday\u2019s heartbreaking loss and answered most of the questions in the postgame news conference as the second-year player coped with the emotional moment.<\/p>\n But Bueckers insisted on addressing one question \u2014 and it was about her bond with Ogunbowale.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cArike 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,\u201d Bueckers said through tears. \u201cShe\u2019s held it down through the ups and downs, the highs and lows of Dallas basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n While the season didn\u2019t 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\u00a0Bueckers No. 1 overall.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the vision playing with a generational player like Paige and everybody we got in the offseason,\u201d Ogunbowale said postgame Friday. \u201cWe knew this would be a good year.\u201d<\/p>\n Ogunbowale\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys have seen how the analytics and the numbers compared to Arike this year and all the previous years for her,\u201d Wings coach Jose Fernandez said postgame Friday. \u201cShe needed to adapt and change in regards to a brand new system and offense.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2026 Wings<\/p>\n The 2026 Wings included rookie Azzi Fudd<\/a>, the No. 1 overall pick, and free agent signees Alysha Clark<\/a>, Jessica Shepard<\/a>, Odyssey Sims<\/a> and Alanna Smith<\/a>. Dallas also welcomed back\u00a0Awak Kuier<\/a>, a 2021 Wings draftee who returned to the team this year after two seasons playing overseas.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Steve Nurenberg\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Fudd, a prolific three-point shooter and the Wings\u2019 strongest perimeter defender, sat out the playoff run due to injury<\/a>. As did Smith, the Wings\u2019 best interior defender.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019 first round series.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t play consistently off the bench. Neither did 2025 returners Aziaha James<\/a>, Maddy Siegrist<\/a> and Li Yueru<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The disparity between the Wings\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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