2024 has been a landmark year for women’s basketball, on the court and in fashion. From the recent WNBA All-Star game, to the WNBA draft, to the WNBA game day tunnel ‘fits, the excitement around the players’ personal style has never been higher.
As we know, popular players have always risen to celebrity status, not only from what they do on the court, but also because of what they’re wearing, driving US cultural trends forward. But the seismic shift in attention being given toward WNBA players’ fashion says something about its present – and its future.
Despite the WNBA being a much younger league, it’s beginning to catch up to the NBA in terms of viewership. And considering how intertwined professional basketball and fashion has always been, what the players wear and how their style is talked about and reported on has implications for the future growth of the league.
The Evolution of WNBA Fashion
To some extent, the WNBA has been fashion-forward since its inception in 1996. Players such as Sheryl Swoopes (the first player drafted into the WNBA, and first to have a signature shoe), Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, and Dawn Staley were as beloved for their fashion sense as their athletic dominance. The style of the WNBA has always been cool, hip, and reflective of the latest in the cultural zeitgeist. Players used their clothing to express their personal style, shoe game included.
During the ’90s and 2000s, urban streetwear dominated the WNBA, with hip-hop music and fashion as a source of creativity. Players donned jersey-style matching sets, Air Jordans, and matching hoop earrings, a nod inspired by fashion present in Black neighborhoods across the US. This trend continued with players striking a balance of comfort and street, signaling the emergence of athleisure wear styles.
In the 2010s we saw the emergence of high fashion intertwined with the WNBA. Players such as Swin Cash, Brittney Griner, and Skylar Diggins were labeled as style influencers, bringing WNBA fashion to new heights. Cash and Diggins were gracing the cover of magazines and walking runways during New York Fashion Week. Cash was named to Sports Illustrated’s inaugural Fashionable 50, and Diggins was once named, “basketball’s best dressed woman” by Vogue Magazine.
But looking back at each WNBA draft’s class photos shows a clear progression. With the exposure of social media, in more recent years players have begun really stepping into daring, designer, and high-fashion outfits on the orange carpet. (Former players recount having to follow a strict dress code, even comparing their looks to “athletic accountants,” per Front Office Sports.).
Fast forward to present day. With recent attention on the women’s game, thanks in large part to league rookies including Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, and Kamilla Cardoso, WNBA fashion is front and center, with the women proving they can ball on and off the court.
At the WNBA draft, for example, fashion was in full force. It wasn’t just that the draftees looked amazing, although they did. But they were dressed by the biggest names in fashion: Caitlin Clark’s two-piece white ensemble was courtesy of Prada (marking the first time the label had dressed an athlete for a NBA or the WNBA draft); Angel Reese’s hooded gown was styled by Vogue editor Naomi Elizee.
Additionally, in the past couple of years – and especially this year – the tunnel (which connects players’ locker rooms to the arena) has become a runway show, an opportunity for players to flex their personal style, knowing that their photos will be taken and splashed all over traditional and social media, sometimes by their teams’ own social media accounts.
All this is an affirmation of what we’ve seen proven all year: that women’s sports and women’s athletes have been ready to take center stage on the court, in the media, and in high fashion.
The NIL Connection
The fact that WNBA players are killing the style game just adds to the exciting, infectious energy the league has been bringing us all season. But the momentum we’re seeing around fashion isn’t only a result of the growing popularity of the league in general. The NCAA’s decision to allow name, image, and likeness deals has also increased visibility of players’ lifestyles, including fashion, outside of the sport.
The NCAA’s NIL rule lets college athletes make money off their name, image, and likeness, a shift that’s been especially lucrative to women basketball players, per the New York Times. For example, UCONN guard Paige Bueckers (who began working with celeb stylist Brittany Hampton in 2021) has racked up an impressive number of sponsorships, including Nike, Crocs, and StockX. NIL ushers in a fan base from college to the WNBA, which can prove to be lucrative for players who are able to capitalize off of their popularity from college translating to partnerships with brands.
These marketing deals may later turn into endorsement deals once a player goes pro. And they’re important for women athletes in particular, who can typically expect to earn lower salaries than men. But many athletes have reported feeling more pressure to dress a certain way to ensure they’re “marketable” for brands they hope to work with, according to the New York Times.
Despite the pressure that may come with them, the ability to create partnerships with recognizable brands is significant, because these deals have historically been reserved for only NBA players. Not only can league partnerships with major brands like Nike and Skims bring increased exposure, but WNBA players securing individual brand and sponsorship deals has created more opportunities with the potential to make more money, signaling growing public support and investment in women’s sports and women’s athletes.
Setting aside the business and deal negotiations aspect of the WNBA, though: simply put, WNBA fashion is exciting. Players like A’ja Wilson have been able to use their ensembles to show off her style and individuality, as well as express support for social movements close to her heart. Some players are being intentional about the stylists they’re partnering with, choosing to focus on Black female designers to give more visibility to their work, which has typically been in the shadows, as well as a nod to the Black women that have paved the way for the league to be where it is today.
While not high fashion, WNBA players also donned fits to directly express their activism for movements such Gender Equity in Sports or Black Lives Matter. And research shows that when women athletes speak up and speak out, the world listens. People are 2.3 times more likely to purchase a product when it’s endorsed by a female athlete, compared to another kind of influencer, per Fortune.
WNBA players are showing up and showing out, proving their fashion sense should be taken seriously, while showing support for female athletes, designers, styles, and more. This is all part of growing the league, where doors are being kicked down, inviting opportunities and access across the industry.
We should all keep our eye on the future of WNBA fashion, as the league continues to get notoriety. These amazing female athletes continue to elevate the game, with winning shots, both hoops and in fashion.
Ralinda Watts is an author, diversity expert, consultant, practitioner, speaker, and proven thought leader who works at the intersection of race, identity, culture, and justice. She has contributed to numerous publications such as PS, CBS Media, Medium, Yahoo Life, and the Los Angeles Times.
