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Arike Ogunbowale Cooked Team USA After 'Politics' Dig

Robin Lundberg

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY

There were no politics involved in Arike Ogunbowale's electric performance in leading the WNBA All-Stars over Team USA, just buckets. However, it was politics that Ogunbowale had previously cited as the reason she decided to remove her name from consideration for being on the Olympics roster.

Arike joined the show "Nightcap" with Shannon Sharpe, Gilbert Arenas and Chad "OchoCinco" Johnson last month and told them why she isn't exactly in love with the selection process. "Me being me, I just felt the vibes...It's really about who they feel like fits with the team. So I actually took my name out the pool months ago. That's not saying I didn't think maybe last year, I would be on the team and I was good enough to make the team, but when the list came out, I knew I would not be that one." Ogunbowale went on to state that the choices are "subjective" before adding, "There's politics in everything, so I'm gonna just leave it at that."

She didn't state whether the All-Star record 34 points she scored, all in the second half, were a measure of revenge. But Ogunbowale certainly had fans wondering why she isn't heading to Paris as she carved up the squad that is representing the U.S. in the Olympics. It must have been an awesome moment for Arike regardless of any motivation as she made sure any new viewers tuning in left the game knowing her name. Even Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes recognized the performance in a social media post. All as Arike showed Team USA that while she knew she wouldn't be picked, she also couldn't be stopped.

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Robin Lundberg
ROBIN LUNDBERG

Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!

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