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 Women’s National Basketball Association 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 styles.
But players getting fits off isn’t a new phenomenon. The WNBA has always been fashionable—it’s just now, 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 (rightfully) begun making more money.
“When I think of the different generations [that paved the way], I think of a Lisa Leslie, who always played with her nails and makeup done. I think of Tina 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 so 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 collaborate on a sneaker with Nike. Lisa Leslie’s fashion has been a standout on the ESPYs red carpet since the early part of the millennium. Sue Bird and Becky Hammon reinvented business casual court-style. Fast-forward to 2021, and players like Charli Collier and Angel Reese were stepping out in custom Sergio Hudson creations and red-carpet-ready 16Arlington, respectively.
Dawn Staley in 2017
WNBA.com writer and editor Kirsten Chen isn’t surprised by the newfound attention the league’s fashion is receiving. 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 players have now—not just in how they dress, but also in how they express themselves overall. “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 leads to brand endorsements and campaigns,” she says. “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.”
A’ja Wilson at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend
Angel Reese at the 2024 Met Gala
Chen adds: “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 energy around the league, others have been there since the jump. Nike, for instance, has been a standing sponsor for the WNBA since the league’s official inception, in 1996. At this year’s All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, the brand highlighted its long-standing support for the WNBA at a pop-up cultural hub at Futuro coffee bar. The hub featured a gallery showcasing the history of WNBA collaborative sneakers, from early iterations of the Nike Air Swoopes to the very recent Sabrina 2s. 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, Wallace is not surprised at the new level 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 new focus on the league, 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,” Greydy Diaz says. “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 new WNBA bandwagoner isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What matters most is how new fans continue 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.”
Bianca Betancourt is the culture editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, where she covers all things film, TV, music, and more. When she’s not writing, she loves impulsively baking a batch of cookies, re-listening to the same early-2000s pop playlist, and stalking Mariah Carey’s Twitter feed.