Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale embraces ‘grind mode’ with stunning 'penitentiary' braids ahead of WNBA season

The WNBA's opening game is less than months away, and Arike Ogunbowale is not just making sure she feels ready but also that she looks ready. The Dallas Wings All-Star was one of the league's top players last season and will be looking to bring that same intensity and energy into the 2025 campaign.

On Friday, Ogunbowale showed off her braids on social media, giving her over 282,000 Instagram followers a glimpse of her new look as she prepares for the upcoming season.

"In grind mode before the season had to get the penitentiarys 😂," Ogunbowale captioned the post.

Arike Ogunbowale displays her braids on social media. Photo Credit: arike_ogunbowale/IG

Ogunbowale even managed to shout out her hair braider, Bratbraidz, located in Texas.

Ogunbowale and her teammates must "grind" if they hope to improve this year. The Wings struggled last season, winning just nine of their 40 regular season games, and finished with the second-worst record, behind only the LA Sparks.

While the Wings disappointed in 2024, Ogunbowale performed sensationally from a personal standpoint. The former Notre Dame star led the team in points (22.2), assists (5.1) and steals (2.1) and was selected to the All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive year.

Arike Ogunbowale reveals her reaction after Dallas Wings landed the first pick in the WNBA draft

Team WNBA player Arike Ogunbowale celebrates a 3-point shot at Footprint Center. Photo Credit: Imagn

The Dallas Wings found it challenging to pick up wins last season, but one positive going into the 2025 season is that they hold the first pick in the upcoming WNBA draft.

The Washington Mystics, the LA Sparks and the Wings were all in the running for the first overall pick, with Dallas coming out on top in the lottery in November. Following the news, Arike Ogunbowale was overjoyed and couldn't contain her excitement.

"I just fell to my knees. THANK YOU LORD! 😭😭😭😭," Ogunbowale tweeted on Nov. 17.

Expand Tweet

Many experts predict that Dallas will select UConn Huskies' Paige Bueckers. The 23-year-old star is considered the top college player in the country and has the resume to back up that claim. Bueckers was the AP and Naismith College Player of the Year in 2021. She has also been voted the Big East Player of the Year three times (2021, 2024 and 2025).

Pairing the talented UConn guard with Ogunbowale would create a dangerous one-two punch in Dallas' backcourt and could build a solid foundation for the franchise's future.

About the author

Sahir Bhojwani is a sports enthusiast who has covered a range of sports over his career. Since completing his Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies he has gone on to work with numerous companies in the media and tech sector and has over 14 years of experience.

As a writer, his goal is to create informative, data-driven, historically accurate pieces that focus on the fascinating world of sport.

His favorite team is the Golden State Warriors because he lived in the Bay Area for many years and they have an exciting and entertaining brand of basketball. Sahir's favorite coach is the late Jimmy Valvano, for his tenure at North Carolina State. Although he never coached in the NBA, Valvano is considered one of the top coaches and great basketball minds in the history of the game.

Know More

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos