Ogunbowale, Sabally & Ogwumike named to WNBA All-Star Team
Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally have been named 2023 WNBA All-Star starters, the league announced today. This is Ogunbowale’s third career All-Star selection and her first selection as a starter. It is Sabally’s second career All-Star selection and first selection as a starter.
Through 13 games this season, the Nigerian-American Ogunbowale ranks third in the league in points with an average of 22.7 points per game. Ogunbowale set a career high with 41 points against Seattle on June 17th. The game marked the 14th time in which Ogunbowale has recorded 30 or more points in her career and since entering the league in 2019, no player has recorded more 30-plus point games in that time span than Ogunbowale.
Ogunbowale was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on May 30 and was later named the Kia Western Conference Player of the Month for the month of May.
Gambian-German Sabally, through 13 games in 2023, has averaged 19.5 points, while her average of 10.5 rebounds is second in the WNBA. From May 30 to June 14, Sabally recorded seven straight double-doubles and become the first player in franchise history and eighth in WNBA history to record seven straight double-doubles in a single season. Sabally was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career on June 12.
Nigerian-American veteran Nneka Ogwumike ranks in the top ten in rebounding and scoring this season with averages of 19.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
In 2021, the All-Star game was also held in Las Vegas and saw Ogunbowale take home the MVP honors of the game, in her first career All-Star appearance.
The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will be played on Saturday, July 15 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC.
Update:
Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor will make her first trip to the WNBA All-Star Game.
The fourth-year Nigerian-Australian veteran was selected as one of 12 reserves.
In 15 games, Magbegor is averaging 15.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 34.0 minutes.
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