It’s a scorching June day in Chicago.
The temperature soars to 90 degrees, but inside Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, the air conditioning hums steadily. Personnel move quickly through the concrete tunnels, their footsteps and soft chatter echoing off the empty seats.
Four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and her Dallas Wings are in town. Today, she’s widely regarded as one of the WNBA’s most dangerous scorers, but she’s had the reputation as an ice-cold shooter even before she was sinking threes as a high school standout at Milwaukee’s Divine Savior Holy Angels High School and hitting back-to-back Final Four game-winners for Notre Dame.
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Now she’s courtside with her teammates and coaches, fully immersed in film study of the Sky. A month earlier, the 27-year-old Ogunbowale exploded for 25 points in the Wings’ 87-79 season-opening win against Chicago. Today, as the two teams prepare for a rematch, the energy in the air is electric. The national spotlight is shining brighter than ever on the WNBA, and the arena will soon be packed to the rafters.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 miles away in Houston, Arike’s brother Dare, 30, is gearing up for his own professional season – training camp with the Houston Texans. It’ll be his eighth NFL season, a journeyman career marked by resilience, versatility and persistence.
While he hasn’t reached the career heights his sister has, one thing they share is a mindset instilled by their parents and Wisconsin sports culture – a gritty work ethic and deep understanding of what it takes to succeed. And when the pressure is on, they rise to the occasion.
“He’s a worker,” Arike says proudly, reflecting on her older brother Dare’s unconventional path to the NFL. “Different paths, but we both ended up here,” she adds.
Dare (full name Oluwadare) played track, soccer, basketball and football at Marquette University High School, bouncing between teams before focusing fully on football his junior year.
He was a walk-on at the University of Wisconsin before switching positions and eventually becoming a team captain. He wasn’t drafted into the NFL, was released three times and spent time on practice squads waiting for a chance at the active roster. But he never gave up, and his ability to run, catch, block and even kick has made him beloved by his coaches.
Despite the pressure of their careers, the Ogunbowale siblings know how to keep things light.
“She’s hilarious,” Dare laughs when asked about his sister, his voice filled with affection. “I feel like we both love being funny. Our sense of humor aligns.” Siblings have a wide range of different relationships, but it’s clear Dare and Arike share that easygoing, grab-a-drink-and-hang-out energy. The bond, built on years of shared experiences, is about support and fun.
Back at Wintrust Arena, Arike and the Wings wrap up their film session. The players stand, then begin to stretch and drift toward center court for their half-court shooting contest. Familiar trash talk fills the air. A few shots flirt with the rim, but none finds its mark.
Then Arike, calm and collected, steps up. “This one’s going in,” she says with a sly grin. She lines up and releases the ball, which arcs through the air before smacking the backboard and falling cleanly through the net.
The gym erupts in cheers, laughter and mock protests. (Someone owes her money, apparently.) Quiet confidence, pinpoint precision, effortless skill – it’s essential Arike Ogunbowale, and the formula for being one of the best in the game.
MAKING CLUTCH SHOTS is second nature for Arike, whose basketball skills have dazzled audiences since childhood. Her middle school coach at Our Redeemer Lutheran, Scott Gobeli, recalls her boundless energy and love for the game, even back as a “rambunctious” third-grader, before she was even on the team.
“My first experience with her,” Gobeli laughs, “was chasing her off the court at halftime during one of my girls’ games. As soon as the buzzer sounded, she’d be on the court, ready to play.”
When she actually joined the team, Gobeli discovered a selfless player who understood space and movement, seeing opportunities to shoot or pass “before they happened.” “She enjoyed a pass as much as a shot,” he recalls. “She made people around her better and was never pretentious. Even then, she had a deep understanding of the game.”
Everyone took notice, including college recruiters; Arike remembers receiving offers as early as seventh grade. “My parents wanted me to stay focused on school,” she says, her expression serious. “So that’s what I did.”
Her parents, Yolanda and Gregory, placed a strong emphasis on education. Both are educators – Gregory is a former principal now in Milwaukee Public Schools administration, Yolanda is a fifth-grade teacher and former coach and has some athletic bona fides of her own. She was an all-conference prep volleyball player and state champion softball player in Illinois. On a softball scholarship at DePaul, she was the conference offensive MVP in 1985.
But at home, the emphasis on academics was clear. “Without the grades, you’re not going to do anything,” Yolanda often reminded Arike, Dare and their other children, Mario and Darasimi. “You are a student-athlete – a student first. You’re not getting paid out here, you know? The only thing you have to do is get those academics right.”
Gregory recalls telling the kids: “If you give me the grades, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. And they gave me the grades.” True to his word, he drove Arike and her brothers to practices and games, from local gyms to national competitions, all while top schools like Notre Dame, Stanford and UCLA began courting her.
But for Arike, success wasn’t just about academics but also toughness. Growing up as the only girl among three brothers, she learned to compete fiercely – and still trains with men during the offseason.
“I’ve always played with the boys,” she recalls. “Nothing was ever handed to me. I didn’t beat Dare until college. Now, of course, I dominate him,” she adds with a laugh.
That sibling rivalry sharpened her competitive edge. Gregory fondly recalls a moment when young Arike was playing football with Dare and a cousin. “Dare leveled her with a tough tackle,” he remembers. “I ran outside in a panic, but Arike just looked up and said, ‘I’m OK, Daddy.’” She got up.
Arike’s high school career at DSHA is legend. She was a three-time state player of the year there, and her 24 is the only number retired by the school. By her senior year in 2014-15, Arike was drawing crowds eager for autographs and a chance to see the unprecedented.
In one of the most unforgettable games of her career, she scored 55 of DSHA’s 86 points in a WIAA semifinal against Middleton. The state championship game the next day was a 64-29 cakewalk. “She told me [before the season] she wanted to win state,” coach Jeff Worzella recalls, “and we did.”
During her senior year, to open the school’s new gym, Arike was invited to take a ceremonial first shot. “I of course thought she would do a free throw or layup,” athletic director Peggy Seegers-Braun recalls. “But not Arike. She went to half court – no warm-up – and in front of the whole school took the first shot and it swished through the hoop.” The gym erupted. “You couldn’t have scripted it any better,” Seegers-Braun says.
Arike chose Notre Dame from her many college suitors, and there she became one of the most clutch players in college basketball history. In 2018, she hit back-to-back last-second, game-winning shots – in both the national semifinal and championship games – to secure the NCAA Championship for the Fighting Irish.
In the six seasons since being selected fifth overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft by Dallas, Arike has emerged as a leader on the team, averaging more than 20 points per game over her career. But as we talk courtside at Wintrust, her usual enthusiasm and optimism is tempered with concern. She’s in the midst of what would turn out to be a 10-game losing streak, the nadir of a season that would end with a 9-31 record and a dismissed head coach, Latricia Trammell. (Former USC assistant Chris Koclanes will lead the Wings in 2025.)
In mid-June, the full scope of the lost season was yet to come into focus, but Arike knows she’s been playing through an Achilles injury, and her right foot is tightly wrapped in white trainer’s tape. She’d end up missing only two games.
“That’s something that shows a lot about her,” Trammell said in retrospect, after season’s end. “Very rarely did she have to sit out of a game, and when she did, it wasn’t because she wanted to. You almost have to pull her off the court to get her to rest. That’s the kind of player anyone would want to coach.”
Trammell came to rely on Arike in big moments. “It’s almost like you have to experience it to know that you have it. And she’s done that over and over again,” she says. “If it ever came down to needing a bucket or a game-winning shot, I was going to her. She can make something happen. She’s reliable.”
But it’s not just Arike’s on-court brilliance that stands out. Trammell also speaks with admiration about her character, noting how her family’s love and support have shaped Arike as an athlete and a person. “She’s special,” she says, her voice warm with affection. “Her whole family is.”
Dare, in particular, was there for his sister. Despite his demanding NFL schedule, Trammell notes, he makes attending Arike’s games a top priority. “When he can, he sits courtside,” she shares. “They respect each other’s athletic ability, and the love and support they have for each other is unbelievable.”
For Dare, the role of Arike’s brother is something he holds dear. “Supporting her is one of my favorite things to do,” he says. “Guys don’t get to be in that situation with a younger sibling, especially a younger sister. It’s special for me to savor these moments – watching her make memories for our family.”
One such memory was Arike’s stunning performance in last summer’s All-Star Game (see sidebar, page 51). The game’s format pitted the U.S. Olympic team against the rest of the WNBA’s best, putting Arike on a team with another high-profile Olympic snub, rookie standout Caitlin Clark.
But Arike stole the show, erupting for 34 points, the most ever scored in a WNBA All-Star Game, including a record-setting 21 in the third quarter. She was named MVP of the game for the second time.
One of the 3.5 million people watching the game on TV was Dare, who tuned in from Houston during training camp. Yolanda and others from the extended family cheered from the stands.
“It was incredible,” Dare recalls later. “We were all just in disbelief, watching, screaming, soaking it all in.” The next day, Arike became the talk of the Texans cafeteria. “I went to work, and everyone was talking about it,” Dare says with pride. “We were watching it on ‘SportsCenter.’ It was surreal.”
For Arike, the connection afterward was just as meaningful.
“When I finally got my phone, I wanted to FaceTime him. And of course, he knew what happened. He saw the game, so I knew his reaction would be hilarious,” she says, smiling as she glances at Dare. Their eyes meet, and they both burst out laughing. “He didn’t even say much,” she continues, grinning. “He just said, ‘What?!’ And then we just laughed.” Arike doubles over with laughter, as they both crack up.
Last spring, buzz was building around the WNBA All-Star Game to be held in Phoenix in mid-July. The league had seen an unprecedented bump from the arrival of rookie phenom Caitlin Clark, and her snub from the Olympic team added more juice to the game’s format of Team WNBA vs. Team USA. For a fan, it was shaping up as an unmiss-able event. So I booked a flight to Phoenix.
What I learned there is that to truly grasp Arike Ogunbowale’s brilliance, you have to see her play live.
Inside the Footprint Center, the energy was charged. In the first half, Ogunbowale and Clark went toe to toe with the Olympians, who led by 2 points at halftime. But the All-Stars stormed out in the second half behind no-look passes and quick-release threes from Ogunbowale and Clark. Ogunbowale broke away from the pack, seeming to defy gravity as she launched her signature quick shots. She was on fire. Fans turned to each other, wide-eyed in disbelief.
Even Clark, ready to sub in, waved off the coach and took a seat on the sideline to watch Ogunbowale. “They tried to sub me in for her, and I’m like, ‘No! I’m staying on the bench, this is fun to watch,’” she said after the game. “Arike was on fire. When that happens, it’s hard to lose.”
Ogunbowale finished with a WNBA All-Star Game record 34 points and her second All-Star MVP.
“When she’s hitting step-back threes and one-legged floaters, you can’t guard her,” Clark said. “In my eyes, she’s the best one-on-one player in the league.”
OUTSIDE NRG STADIUM IN HOUSTON, mariachi bands strike up, setting the tone for the Texans’ Week 2 game against the Bears. A spirited rendition of “Margaritaville” mixes with the heavy thrum of bass from inside the stadium.
Inside, Dare is getting ready for the game, with the professional blend of focus and chill that marks NFL pregame routines. Dressed in all white – without the headphones many players wear – he stretches in silence, shares a few laughs with teammates, then jumps to loosen up, his focus intensifying.
As the clock ticks down, his movements sharpen. The jumbotron blares to life with bulls charging as head coach DeMeco Ryans is introduced. By the coin toss, Dare is locked in, ready for kickoff.
In this game, his offensive role remained somewhat limited, with just two carries and two catches for 23 total yards, but included a key play: a 13-yard catch on a first-half-ending drive capped by a field goal. The Texans won a defensive battle, 19-13.
The impact of a player like Dare often doesn’t show up in the box score, says his special teams coach, Frank Ross.
“The reason Dare is an outstanding professional football player is that he’s detailed, smart, focused, and asks great questions,” Ross says. “He always knows what to do and has improved because of that mindset. When it’s time to make a play, he’s incredible. It’s awesome being around him – his personality and presence.”
Weeks later, Dare delivered one of the Texans’ most electrifying moments of the season in a dramatic win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. With 18 seconds left, he hauled in a game-winning touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud, clinching a 24-20 victory and setting off a tidal wave of celebration.
Arike, watching from the high-up stands, hustled down to the front row, phone in hand, and clasped Dare’s hands – a moment of joy that spread widely on social media and a poignant role reversal, as Arike this time celebrated her brother’s triumph. Later, in the locker room, Dare was handed the game ball for his clutch performance.
Dare’s path to the NFL has been far from easy, or linear.
Beginning as a walk-on cornerback at Wisconsin, he fought for every chance he got. His breakthrough came in 2014, his sophomore season, when injuries to the Badgers’ running backs opened the door for a position change that would ultimately redefine his career.
Dare quickly made his mark in the new role, becoming a key contributor to Wisconsin’s offense. Over the next three seasons, he accumulated 1,518 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, solidifying his reputation as a versatile and dynamic player. He was named a team captain in 2016 and is a multiple-time academic All-Big Ten honoree.
After going undrafted in 2017, Dare signed as a free agent with the Texans. He was waived during final cuts and spent time that season on the practice squads of Houston, Tampa Bay and Washington before making Washington’s active roster for two December games.
He returned to the Buccaneers in 2018 and had a breakout season in 2019, catching 35 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, along with 11 carries. He then spent two seasons with Jacksonville before returning to the Texans in 2022 on a two-year contract.
In November 2023, Dare’s athletic versatility literally won a game for the Texans. He had long been a soccer player back to his high school days in Milwaukee, and he’d continue to use his feet through his days at Wisconsin, kicking field goals in practice.
When he came on board with his second stint with the Texans, Ross asked Dare about the kicking among his other abilities, Dare confidently declared, “I’m an athlete, coach.” Ross recalls being impressed by his determination and adaptability, and designated him the Texans’ emergency kicker.
“We had him kicking off sticks during training camp as part of pre-practice warmups,” Ross says. “We’d seen tape of him kicking at Wisconsin, and he was always kicking the soccer ball around [in practice]. So, when the situation arose, we knew he was built for it. He’s a soccer player.”
That situation did indeed arise in Week 9 of that season against Tampa Bay. Ross recalls the tense situation: “We score a field goal, and then our kicker gets hurt on the kickoff. I told the head coach, ‘Just so you know, we don’t have a kicker. If we need a field goal, we can’t kick one.’” At halftime, Ross turned to Dare and said, “You’re warming up. The kicker’s out, and you’re going to kick off.”
Dare booted six kickoffs in the second half of the shootout, burying touchbacks on three of them. The Texans avoided Dare as long as they could, attempting two-point conversions after their touchdowns instead of extra points. But with the game tied 30-30 and eight minutes left in the game, a Texans drive stalled on third down at the Tampa Bay 11-yard-line.
Ross and Ryans, who was in his first season as head coach, decided quickly to try a 29-yard field goal. Dare showed no signs of hesitation. He booted the ball comfortably through the uprights with several yards of distance to spare. “No blink. No blink at all,” Ross recalls.
“With 18 seconds on the play clock, he lined up for the kick. The holder looked back and said, ‘Hey, buddy, watch your steps. Let’s go.’ The good part was, it kept his mind free. He didn’t have time to think. He just said, ‘Alright, I’ve got to kick the ball.’ And sure enough, the athlete took over and executed. It was a really cool moment.”
The kick put the Texans up for good in a 39-37 win and made Dare the first non-kicker to score a field goal in a regular-season NFL game since 2004.
Asked about how fired up he was on the sideline as the ball sailed through the goalpost, Ross turned his answer back to Dare’s approach:
“It was such an improbable, obscure thing – I couldn’t contain myself. I’m so happy for someone who works so hard and does all the right things. He’s our kind of flag-bearer for special teams, stepping up to do something he shouldn’t even be asked to do – and absolutely nailing it.”
Earlier this month, the Texans brought Dare back for another season on a one-year, $2 million deal.
GREGORY ATTENDS HIS SON’S GAMES when he can, and he was in Houston for Dare’s game against Chicago. Asked what it’s like to watch Dare play, Gregory reflects for a moment before answering.
“Yeah, it was a great game. He did his thing,” he says. “But it’s always mixed feelings for me. I’m enjoying it, loving it, but at the same time, I’m watching to see them succeed – and, of course, praying they don’t get injured. It’s been like that since they were little.”
His words speak for any parent watching their child compete. Their heart is out there on the field or court, running, jumping, tumbling, risking it all. But for Gregory, this is not a passing insight; it’s a rhythm he’s lived with for years, balancing pride with a quiet, constant worry.
As he talks, memories flood in – driveway drills, early morning practices, road trips to tournaments. The moments that happen off the field, away from the applause and after the gym empties, are often unseen. But Gregory and Yolanda have been there every step of the way.
Gregory’s voice fills with pride when he hears of Arike and Dare mentioning how important their childhood workout routines were. “It’s just what we do in this family,” he says. Their athletic achievements are the payoff, he says, of instilling discipline and drive from day one.
One unexpected element of their training: piano practice, which Gregory viewed as not just as an artistic pursuit but as a tool for sharpening focus and discipline that would complement athletic training. “It wasn’t just about running and bouncing a ball. They needed an art form in their lives,” Gregory adds.
“You can’t just show up to practice; you need to warm up in the morning and practice your piano,” Gregory explains. “We’d wake them up at 5 a.m. One would start on the treadmill while the other practiced piano. At 5:30, they’d switch. By 6, they’d take their baths so we could get them ready for school.”
Today, the routine remains ingrained in both Arike and Dare’s lives. “Once they were grown, I didn’t have to tell them anymore,” Gregory says. “They were doing it on their own. And now their little brother is following the same path.” This focus on routine has become an integral part of the family dynamic.
“I want them to be the best and to not settle for less,” Yolanda says. “I always tell the kids, your dad and I, we helped you guys build your foundation so you can build any house you want to build. Once you have all the tools, it’s up to you to utilize those tools the way you want to utilize those tools. We set you guys up. Now, what else are you going to do to set yourself up for the rest of your life?”
Arike chuckles when the topic of piano comes up. “It turned out good for [Dare]. It scarred me. I can’t play piano anymore. Once he stopped making us do it, I was done.”
Dare, on the other hand, still plays – he has a piano in his living room. “At the time, waking up at 5 to play piano felt like the craziest thing,” he says. “But looking back, I see that was what we signed up for. The only way to get good at it was to keep playing.” It’s easy to imagine Dare surprising everyone with a musical performance during a future episode of “Hard Knocks.”
Piano aside, Arike also expresses gratitude for the early-morning programming. “I’ve kept those routines as I’ve gotten older,” she says.
Dare agrees. “When I’m up early, I know she is, too. She’s always quick to respond to my texts at 5 a.m.”
“Sure am,” Arike replies with a grin.
The siblings also recall childhood workouts on Bradford Beach, where they ran sprints in the sand, sometimes with parachutes, improving their speed and agility. “Oh yeah, the good old days,” Gregory laughs, relishing the memories.
When asked about the source of their incredible work ethic and their “clutch gene,” Gregory is quick to credit Yolanda. “Their mom, she’s a real athlete,” Gregory says with admiration. “I played soccer and judo back in Nigeria, so I was athletic, but their mom? She’s the real deal.”
“She’s the one who taught me about the grind,” Arike says of her mom. “She didn’t just show us how to be athletes; she taught us how to be mentally tough. She’d always tell us, ‘Don’t just show up. Be prepared. Work harder than anyone else in the room.’ She’s competitive, too, something we all share.”
Arike laughs. “She would be more upset when I’d lose games than me!”
IN OCTOBER, AFTER ARIKE’S SEASON has ended, she travels to Houston to visit Dare and attend his game against the Jaguars.
During a Zoom call with both of them, the voices lower as a new presence appears on the screen – a tiny face. The conversation pauses for a beat, then bursts open.
“Arike’s an aunt!” Dare grins. He and his partner, Mason, welcomed their first child, little Demi Rose, weeks earlier. “She already has him wrapped around her finger,” Arike says.
The Ogunbowale family is growing in more ways than one. Arike and Lala Ronay, a beauty and lifestyle content creator, were engaged in May.
At this moment, the family is visibly energized. The grind of the seasons – past and present – fades. It’s a brief pause from the intensity of professional sports, a reminder of the unshakable bond that underpins everything for this family. Behind every athlete’s journey lies a support system built on family – always there, always rooting from the sidelines.
Elizabeth Sweet is a Chicago-based writer who wrote about the rise of women’s basketball in the November 2023 issue.
