The post-championship win after Unrivaled had ended sour for  Arike Ogunbowale, even after dropping 19 points for Mist BC. When the team had stepped out in Miami for a celebration, a turn of events led to Ogunbowale being in legal trouble.

The incident allegedly happened at 4:20 a.m. outside of the club.  According to the police, the man was “attempting to escort the defendant out of the establishment due to an unrelated altercation.” Ogunbowale “punched him in the face with a closed fist, causing him to fall to the ground.” The Wings star was charged with misdemeanor battery after punching a man, and also released on a $1,000 bond that same afternoon. But the legal matter had continued…. Until now. 

“We are pleased that the State Attorney’s Office has exercised its discretion and elected not to move forward with this matter,” Ogunbowale’s attorney, Mitch Schuster of Meister Seelig & Schuster, told ESPN. “Ms. Ogunbowale is a person of outstanding character, and we are excited that these charges have been dismissed so she can resume her focus on her professional career.”

According to ESPN, the case was dropped “nolle prossed” during a Wednesday morning hearing, meaning prosecutors formally withdrew the criminal charge before the matter reached trial.

Ogunbowale can now move forward without uncertainty surrounding possible league discipline.

The WNBA has previously issued suspensions in cases involving off-court incidents tied to guilty rulings. Brittney Griner, for example, was suspended for 20 percent of the 2015 season following a domestic violence arrest involving then-wife Glory Johnson, who received the same punishment.

In a more recent example, Courtney Williams and Crystal Bradford received suspensions of two and one games, respectively, following their involvement in a brawl outside an Atlanta club that later went viral on social media.

However, unlike some previous league disciplinary cases, there is no known public history of prior arrests, battery allegations, or similar off-court incidents involving Ogunbowale before the Miami case. Major reporting around the incident consistently described it as an isolated and unexpected development involving one of the WNBA’s most established stars.

With the charges now dropped, Ogunbowale’s focus shifts fully back to basketball and the championship aspirations that influenced her latest contract decision with Dallas.

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