WNBA All-Star Game MVP elaborates on 'flags' that prompted her to take her name out of Olympic roster pool

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In June, Arike Ogunbowale said she had removed herself from Olympic consideration "months" earlier.

The WNBA All-Star Game MVP said there was "politics" involved. And while she remained vague on that topic earlier this week, she said she felt like she was not "wanted" on this year's squad.

"I know myself and what I see, and I wasn’t feeling like they really wanted me on that team, so I just removed myself," she said earlier this week on ESPN's "SportsCenter." 

"Because it is a process to, you know, keep your name in the pool and having to go to these things [Team USA camps]. So, if I already knew and felt that I wasn’t going to be on the team, I just removed myself from that."

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Arike Ogunbowale of Team WNBA dribbles during a game against the U.S. Women's National Team in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game July 20, 2024, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

At the time, Ogunbowale said "politics has always surrounded" women’s basketball and suggested the selection criteria is inherently subjective.

"I see it all across professional sports. There are some great players that aren’t on teams. There are some players that aren’t that good that are on teams. I’m not just specifically talking about USA Basketball," she added. "When I said ‘politics’ I’m just speaking in general, just obviously being involved in basketball my whole life. I’ve been a part of some things that were political, whether it was college, WNBA. So, I kind of just said it like that."

Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings during a game against the Chicago Sky May 18, 2024, at the College