The players who have come and gone during the league's 25 year history have always been trendsetters. The only difference is now the world is finally paying attention.
There's no question about it: all eyes have been on women's basketball this year. Between the rise of standout rookies like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark and this year's triumph of an NCAA championship game courtesy of player-turned-coach Dawn Staley, the latest iteration of the league has captured the world's attention.
Today's players are operating on an unprecedented level, and along with the focus on their athleticism comes growing fan interest in their personal style. But players getting fits off isn't a new phenomenon. The WNBA has always been fashionable—it's just now that the rest of the world is talking about it. The league's style has also evolved as the organization has garnered more sponsors and players have started making more money. 'When I think of the different generations , I think of a Lisa Leslie, who always played with her nails and makeup done. I think of Athena Thompson who always had her red lipstick on. I think of a Cappie Pondexter—she could dress—and I think of a Skylar Diggins-Smith, who is still a current player and brought to many eyes to women's basketball,' says sports journalist, host, and producer Greydy Diaz. 'But you also have to remember that players back then weren't making a lot of money and at that point fashion wasn't the most important thing—they were just trying to get and keep a job.' In a way, fashion helps mark how far the WNBA has come over the decades. In 1995, Sheryl Swoopes made history as the first female athlete to have a collaborative sneaker with Nike. Lisa Leslie's fashion has been a standout on the ESPY's red carpet since the early millennium. Sue Bird and Becky Hammon reinvented business casual court style. Fast forward to 2021, and players like Charlie Collier were stepping out in custom Sergio Hudson creations and Angel Reese in red-carpet ready 16Arlington.WNBA.com writer and editor Kirsten Chen isn't surprised by the newfound attention on the league's fashion. In fact, she feels it's been a long time coming. 'The momentum, the resources, the capital, even the age of the league has been slowly building up for the last few years and I think everybody knew that this season would be massively popular,' explains Chen. 'And from every outfit down to how the girls play, even if you watch the most recent All-Star Game, the players are carrying themselves with a great sense of self-awareness. They're really trying to represent the league in the best way.'For Chen, comparing today's rookies to the original WNBA legends shows how much more freedom they have—not just in how they dress, but how they express themselves over all. 'We're in a moment where there's a lot of agency among these young women. There's a ton of independence in how a rookie might want to tell their narrative, and it helps athletes set up their image on social media and also lead to brand endorsements and campaigns,' says Chen. 'In the earlier years of the league, girls were not able to communicate with fans so much and truly build their images out. Now, there's a lot of younger POC independent agents and athletes and people on their teams ensuring that this agency can happen.' She continues, 'There are so many situations where young women need to compromise. I think it is the most powerful and radical thing in the world to see someone be that exceptional on the court and then be able to go out and also be a hot girl. It's something that could have only been achieved by young women of color.' While a number of high-profile brands are taking advantage of the newfound energy around the league, others have been around since the jump. Nike, for instance, has been a standing sponsor for the WNBA since its official inception in 1996. At this year's All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, the brand highlighted its longstanding support of the WNBA at a pop-up cultural hub at Futuro Coffee. It featured a gallery showcasing the history of WNBA collaborative sneakers, from early iterations of the Nike Air Swoopes to the newer-age Sabrina Ionescu 2's. There was also a nostalgic book nook featuring time-capsule tomes celebrating the history of the sport, curated by Harper's Bazaar executive digital director Lynette Nylander. Nike's cultural hub also brought together a group of tastemakers who have long championed the intersection of style and sport—like designer Esther Wallace, whose reimagined take on sports merch helped turned her brand Playa Society into a fan-favorite outlet for more intentional game-day wear. The current surge of interest in the WNBA, of course, positively affects her business too. Much like other longtime league fans, she's not surprised at the new amount of attention. If anything, she says, it makes her say, 'We told you so.' 'Style is a language, honestly. And when players express themselves through their style, it helps them connect with people who speak the same style language. That’s one of the many ways we grow the game. Audiences need to be able to connect with the athletes in more ways than just basketball,' says Wallace. 'To everyone starting to invest now, welcome to the party. Women’s basketball is the best community out there, and I stand by that. With more big brands stepping up, so many more people in this industry will get the flowers they deserve.' For Sydney Bordonaro, a onetime player turned stylist to WNBA stars, the league's greatest fashion strength is its range. 'What's so cool from the women's side is that there is so many different shapes, sizes—you get more masculine, you get more feminine, you get something in between. You get a Cam Brink, who's gonna always gonna look sexy, but she's also gonna keep the business casual vibe and look like a boss. Then you have a Rae Burrell who's more streetwear, or a Skylar Diggins-Smith who leans more niche,' Bordonaro says. 'Fashion and sport have always been flirtatious, but up until recently you haven't seen all of these brands understand the benefit to dressing these women. I'm blessed that the players trust me to understand the intersection of who they are on and off the court, and then dress them accordingly. We really get to play.' Longtime fans are grateful for the newfound attention, but it makes some of them feel hesitant, too. 'The evolution has been incredible, but you also have all these new fans who don't necessarily fully appreciate the greatness just yet,' says Diaz. 'If you're a new fan, you have a lot to learn. In order to celebrate what's happening now, you have to really cherish and honor those who laid the foundation and that's the legends.'But according to Bordonaro, being a newfound WNBA bandwagoner isn't necessarily a bad thing. What matters most is how one continues to support the league past this moment. 'Whether you got pulled in because of the fashion or because of a certain player, whatever it was—now you see it. You watch the product and you get attached to the people and the players, and the sky is the limit from here,' she says. 'Whether it was Caitlin Clark, whether it was Angel Reese—we need that. Women's basketball needs someone like them. People love supporting people. Once you get hooked on a player, you always will want to tune in.'
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