"Frances Tiafoe claims if we put him in an NBA game, he'll give at least 10 points... We know that's not true"- Arike Ogunbowale pulls American's legs
WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale recently joked about Frances Tiafoe supposedly claiming that he can score at least 10 points if he is put in an NBA game.
Ogunbowale, who plays as a point-guard for Dallas Wings and is a 3x WNBA All-Star, first teamed up with Tiafoe at the 2023 NBA All-Star Celebrity game. They were on Team Wade, which was captained by NBA legend Dwayne Wade, and also had Indian actor Ranveer Singh and rapper 21 Savage, among other celebrities, on its roster.
Tiafoe, who is regularly seen attending NBA games, registered four points for his team as they went on to secure an 81-78 win over Team Ryan, which had Utah Jazz governor Ryan Smith as its honorary captain.
Speaking about their connection at the NBA event, Tiafoe, who is currently in Dallas for the ATP Dallas Open, told TennisTV in an on-court interview:
"She (Arike Ogunbowale) was on my All-Star team, we got really close from that point on, and we've had some good nights out here in Dallas. She's definitely one of my really good friends, we speak all the time..."
Later in the conversation, the interviewer asked Ogunbowale, who stood alongside Tiafoe, to describe how the World No. 14 is on the basketball court and what tips she gave him. The 26-year-old WNBA star joked:
"He [Frances Tiafoe] always claims that if we put him in an NBA game, he'll give at least 10 points, but I just let him think that, we know that's not true, but I let him think that."
Frances Tiafoe set to face Marcos Giron in ATP Dallas Open QF
Frances Tiafoe entered the 2024 Dallas Open as the first seed and was subsequently given a Bye in the first round.
The 26-year-old American faced compatriot Alex Michelsen in the second round, where the former secured a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win. He is now set to face another American, Marcos Giron, in the quarter-final on Friday (February 9).
Giron, 30, downed sixth-seeded Max Purcell in straight sets in his last match to book a spot against Tiafoe at the ATP 250 event. The two have met on the tour four times, with Tiafoe holding a 3-1 lead and winning their last three matches.
Tiafoe came into the Dallas Open on the back of a rather disappointing 2024 Australian Open campaign. He lost to Tomas Machac in the second round, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(5), after winning his first-round encounter against Croatia's Borna Coric in four sets.