Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale no longer facing battery charge from nightclub incident

WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale will no longer face a battery charge stemming from an incident at a Miami nightclub in March.

An attorney for the Dallas Wings guard, Mitch Schuster of Meister Seelig & Schuster, told USA TODAY Sports in a statement the Florida State Attorney’s Office is not moving forward with the charges. Online filings show there are no further hearings scheduled about the case.

“We are pleased that the State Attorney's Office has exercised its discretion and elected not to move forward with this matter,” Schuster said in a statement. “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.”

Ogunbowale, 29, was arrested at 4:22 a.m. on March 5, hours after her team, Mist BC, won the Unrivaled championship in Miami.

According to Ogunbowale’s arrest report from the incident, a copy of which was obtained by USA Today Sports, the responding officer was working an extra duty detail at E11EVAN, a nightclub in Miami. Security personnel for the club flagged the officer down and he exited his vehicle to investigate.

The victim told police he was trying to escort Ogunbowale out of the club "due to an unrelated altercation" and she punched him "in the face with a closed fist, causing him to fall to the ground," according to the police report. It's unclear based on the police report if the victim worked security for the club.

Ogunbowale was taken into custody without incident, charged with battery – a misdemeanor – and released after posting a $1,000 bond. She pleaded not guilty to the charge on April 9.

A seven-year WNBA veteran, Ogunbowale led Notre Dame to a national championship in 2018 and has since made a name for herself as an elite scorer in the professional ranks. She has finished in the top 10 of MVP voting three times, has twice been named MVP of the All-Star Game, was the WNBA scoring champion in 2020 and led the league in steals in 2024. Across her career with the Dallas Wings, she averages 19.9 points, 4.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Ogunbowale recently signed a two-year deal worth about $2.44 million to remain with the Wings.