ARLINGTON, Texas — Alysha Clark drew praise from Arike Ogunbowale and Wings coach José Fernández on Tuesday night, after the Dallas Wings clinched a playoff berth with a 96-78 win over the Portland Fire. Ogunbowale called her the team’s top veteran and Fernández credited her leadership for much of this season’s success.
Clark played 8 minutes against Portland and finished with 3 points and 2 rebounds. She is averaging single digits in scoring for a fourth straight season and has come off the bench in every appearance.
Ogunbowale brought up Clark unprompted while answering a question about lineup flexibility.
“One of our biggest unsung heroes is Alysha Clark. Like when it’s not the coaches, it’s her. And even when the coaches are there, like they listen to her too,” Ogunbowale said. “And me being a vet, and there’s other vets, I say she’s like the top vet.”
“Just her conversation, her insight, her IQ, like everything she does for the team that doesn’t show up, it’s so valuable for us,” Ogunbowale continued. “So her being on this team is definitely really special.”
José Fernández Credits Alysha Clark’s Leadership In His First WNBA Season
Fernández spent 25 years as a college head coach before Dallas hired him in October 2025. He is the 38th first-year head coach in WNBA history to reach the playoffs.
Fernández said Clark’s three championships will matter down the stretch. He put Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith in the same group for their playoff experience. Fernández took a question about Clark guarding the two, the three, and the four this season and defending centers on Sunday.
“Alysha, for me, so first-time coach in the league, being a college head coach for 25 years, the league’s a lot different in regards to practice cadence, shootaround cadence, the way that we practice, what we do, what we don’t do,” Fernández said. “A lot of our success that we’ve had this year is because of her leadership and how she’s been able to communicate with the coaching staff.”
Alysha Clark Has Won Three WNBA Championships
Clark won titles with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020 and a third with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023, when she was named WNBA Sixth Player of the Year. She made the All-Defensive First Team in 2020 and the Second Team in 2019.
The San Antonio Silver Stars drafted Clark 17th overall in 2010. She spent the first nine years of her WNBA career in Seattle, signed with the Washington Mystics in 2021, and missed that season with a foot injury suffered while playing in France. She returned to Washington in 2022 before joining Las Vegas.
Clark played 42 games last season, 37 in Seattle before a midseason trade sent her to Washington. Her career totals entering 2026 were 423 games at 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
Dallas announced her signing on April 14. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported the terms as a one-year deal.
The Wings are 23-16 and host the Connecticut Sun on Sunday at College Park Center, with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT on WFAA and KFAA.
