Arike Ogunbowale Praises WNBA’s ‘Media Reach’ But Hopes League ‘Can Figure Out' Charter Flights (Exclusive)

The WNBA announced a new streaming deal with CBS Television Network/Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, ION, NBA TV, Prime Video, Meta and X in May

WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale has watched the league's evolution since she was drafted by the Dallas Wings in 2019.

Ogunbowale, 26, tells PEOPLE the "media reach has gotten a lot better" in recent years. "There ae definitely a lot more games on TV, which is good, and bringing a lot more visibility," she adds

In May, the WNBA announced its new streaming deal with CBS Television Network/Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network, ION, NBA TV, Prime Video, Meta and X (formerly known as Twitter) for the 2023 season.

Between the season's start in May and its conclusion in Sept., there will have been 205 live broadcasts and streams under the new deal — a historic high for the WNBA.

"People are watching it because it's accessible," she explains. "So, just the accessibility of the league now and how to watch games is great. It used to be pretty hard."

"People are loving the accessibility," says Ogunbowale, whose off-the-court work with AT&T spotlights the multi-dimensional nature of women athletes, specifically supporting women with side hustles, careers outside of their sport, or philanthropic endeavors giving back to their communities.

Ogunbowale teamed up with the phone company for a new contest that will award $20,000 and a year of free AT&T service to a woman-owned small business through their She's Connected campaign.

Amid the league's record-breaking season, Ogunbowale says the next tangible goal for the league is an obvious answer for players — "charter flights, for sure."

Ogunbowale says chartering flights for the teams is "always at the top of my list" and "would make a lot of things easier" for players and coaching staff throughout the season. "Number one for me is chartering."

Related: Breanna Stewart Wants the WNBA to Charter Flights Next Season, NBA Stars Agree: 'No Matter How Much'

The tedious nature of regular travel can be difficult, especially when it adds hours of "extra things" that can affect recovery time for the athletes. "Just with recovery, you have to be at the airport three hours before a flight. Then fly, get there, practice, and then after a game, you have to stay the night."

Related: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on Reaching Record-Breaking Season: 'It's All Hands on Deck' (Exclusive)

She continues, "Rather than if you charter, you could just leave right after the game, and that's almost like 15 hours of extra things that would just be avoided if we could just charter. So I know it's costly, but hopefully, we can figure out a way to get it done."

On Aug. 2, Ogunbowale became the Dallas Wings' leading 3-point shooter in franchise history with 341 made field goals.

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"It's definitely dope," she says of the accomplishment. "Getting drafted, you're always wanting to make your mark on wherever you go, whatever city you're in, so just being able to make history with the team that drafted me was really cool."

Celebrations are still on the way, however. Ogunbowale says she "definitely hasn't been able to celebrate" the record yet, with the "season still going on," she explains, adding, "but, maybe after the season."

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