ARLINGTON, TX – 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 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, Ogunbowale ranks third in the league in points with an average of 22.7. She also ranks first in made field goals (102) and is second in made threes (38). Ogunbowale set a career high with 41 points against Seattle on June 17, which was the 25th 40-or-more point game in the 27-year history of the WNBA. 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.
She recorded her 2,500th point on June 11 at New York to become the fifth-fastest player in WNBA history to accomplish that feat. 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. 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.
Sabally, over the course of 13 games in 2023, has averaged 19.5 points, which is the eighth-best average in the WNBA, while her average of 10.5 rebounds is the second best mark 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. For her efforts this season, Sabally was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career on June 12.
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. The 12 league head coaches will vote on the reserves, which will be announced on July 1.