Who's The Woman In The Mark Cuban State Farm Commercial?
When one only has a short amount of time to grab a viewer's attention with a product or service, one needs to make sure that a commercial is distinct and easy to remember. State Farm, which is predominately known for insurance, typically wows people with their "Jake from State Farm" advertisements that see the titular character questioned at all manner of times and often have customers share some rather personal facts about themselves.
However, a recent commercial from State Farm features not only Jake (Kevin Miles), but another woman as well — and as one can immediately tell, this woman is somebody important. For those out there that don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Women's National Basketball Association, this woman is Arike Ogunbowale, a player for the Dallas Wings.
The advertisement begins with Ogunbowale and Jake exiting a bus, where Ogunbowale asks several questions of Jake. This is in keeping with the format established by previous State Farm ads, and as such, Jake is happy to oblige any and all questions — even far out there ones! This means that when Ogunbowale asks if State Farm can help her out if she was a different kind of baller, the scene immediately shifts.
Ogunbowale has no time for a famous investor in the State Farm commercial
Arriving in an office, Arike Ogunbowale is seen reclining in a chair as the world-renowned investor Mark Cuban makes a "Shark Tank"-like pitch. As Ogunbowale seems generally unimpressed, Cuban explains that he wants to open up a sandwich shop called "Mark's Cubans." Ogunbowale continues to be unmoved by Cuban's pleading, and he immediately shifts to pitching tube socks instead, which he calls "Mark Tube-ans." Again, Ogunbowale passes on this investment, much to Cuban's disappointment. The commercial ends with a voiceover from Jake saying that State Farm is there for your what-ifs.
Besides playing for the Dallas Wings, Ogunbowale also plays for the Dynamo Kursk and has won several awards and accolades in the WNBA and other organizations. These have included two WNBA All-Stars, WNBA Scoring Champion, NCAA Champion, NCAA Most Outstanding Player, and ACC Athlete of the Year. In addition to being an absolute baller, Ogunbowale is also very active outside of the court.
In an interview with GQ, Ogunbowale was asked if she has any goals that aren't basketball related, and she replied, "I'd say just being more involved in my community. This offseason I was able to do a lot more [to give back to people] at home. I held my first camp in Milwaukee, which I want to do again next year. I went to a couple schools, stuff like that, but definitely looking to do more when I find time. Camps are fun." At least for her camping endeavors, Ogunbowale understands that Jake from State Farm will be there to answer all questions, no matter how zany, when it comes to insurance.