The Dallas Wings finally had the celebration they’ve spent years waiting for. After missing the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, Dallas has finally punched their ticket back to the postseason. As the team celebrates its latest 96-78 win over the Portland Fire, all the attention is on Paige Bueckers’ teammate Arike Ogunbowale for an unexpected reason.
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After the game, a post from @brwsports on Instagram revealed that Arike Ogunbowale had played nearly the whole game with a visible black eye. Ogunbowale was one of the best players for the Wings against the Fire as the team went home with a win to reach a 23-16 record in the standings and clinch the final playoff spot.
Ogunbowale finished the game with 17 points, four assists, and two steals, as well as a +23, the second-highest mark on the team after Paige Bueckers’ +26. The guard was the third-leading scorer for Dallas, behind yet another outstanding game from Paige Bueckers, as well as a 21-point outing from Jessica Shepard.
On top of that, forward Awak Kuier finished the game with five blocks and three steals along with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double, figures only A’ja Wilson has logged this season, according to the Real App on X.
Dallas last reached the playoffs in 2023, and their 23-win mark is the most wins the team has achieved in a season since relocating to the Dallas-Fort Worth area from Tulsa in 2016. Following the Wings’ win, the Fire were officially eliminated from playoff contention. But fans took no time to flood the comments on the post by B/R W Sports with comments about Ogunbowale’s concerning eye injury.
Arike Ogunbowale’s Black Eye Becomes the Talk of Social Media
After pictures of Ogunbowale with a bruised eye surfaced, many fans quickly flooded the comments with confusion, while others joked and praised her toughness.
One such confused commenter wrote, “what the h*** happened.” Ogunbowale seemingly injured her eye during the Wings’ previous game against the Seattle Storm, where many noticed during the game that her left eye looked swollen.
A particularly humorous comment came from a fan, who looked at the injury and joked, “Ehh I would’ve been at home in bed 😂.”
One fan claimed to know what caused the bruised eye, writing, “she took a mean elbow😳.”
Another fan connected the injury to recent physical controversy, writing, “Yall out there beating on each other Dearica Hamby looked like that the other night 😂.”
The comparison came just a few days after Dearica Hamby was ejected during the Los Angeles Sparks’ game against the Connecticut Sun for flagrantly fouling Raegan Beers. Beers was forced to leave the game.
The final reaction, however, was much simpler, showcasing the respect that fans had for Ogunbowale’s effort. The comment read, “True grit 💪.”
Ultimately, the Wings are back in the playoffs, and Arike Ogunbowale wasn’t letting a bruised eye stop her from being there for it.