It’s safe to say that the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been a bit of an underdog in the world of professional sports leagues. With a nearly three-decade history, the league has yet to profit for a single season. Players, team owners and coaches often blame a lack of promotion and overall support from the NBA, its parent company.
However, this season could be a turning point for the league, with rookie players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark creating a buzz as they enter the WNBA following a record-smashing NCAA season and a final that generated record viewership. The WNBA has tripled its viewers this season, with an average of 1.3 million at-home audiences per game across all platforms, the highest in 26 years, according to a CNBC report.
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Creating a buzz at the WNBA are Angel Reese (left) of the Chicago Sky, and (right) Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark. Photo: Getty Images/AFP","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/60dad6cb-e766-4fe7-8659-c91f230ef121_6c2ba91c.jpg"} Creating a buzz at the WNBA are Angel Reese (left) of the Chicago Sky, and (right) Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.
Photo: Getty Images/AFP And one front the WNBA might be able to compete on is fashion. The NBA tunnel has become a runway of sorts for fashion designers and players alike to show off their latest designs and style over the years. It is an essential part of the fashion conversation, going beyond trainers and jerseys.
Game day looks and courtside attire are major talking points for fans , with NBA players such as Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook emerging as fashion icons off the court. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"NBA player Russell Westbrook struts through the tunnel in one of his typically fashionable fits.
Photo: @laclippers/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/0c19a4a6-6b67-4c28-84f2-71b2826fa2b1_8a66ae79.
jpg"} NBA player Russell Westbrook struts through the tunnel in one of his typically fashionable fits. Photo: @laclippers/Instagram Can the WNBA benefit from this synergy with the fashion world, the way fashion has broadened the audience for the NBA? In this regard, the WNBA is already off to a good start, as some players and coaches in women’s basketball have already made a big impression. These are the players causing a stir .
.. Dawn Staley in Louis Vuitton {"@context":"https://schema.
org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Legendary coach Dawn Staley loves to wear Louis Vuitton. Photo: @staley05/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.
com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/1984ec76-049e-4755-a8c7-58eb9a02f8e5_7390c88c.jpg"} Legendary coach Dawn Staley loves to wear Louis Vuitton. Photo: @staley05/Instagram Dawn Staley is touted as one of America’s best coaches, and lead Team USA to a gold medal in women’s basketball at the Tokyo Olympics.
The former WNBA player and now head coach of the University of South Carolina’s Gamecocks brings plenty of game courtside when it comes to fashion, too. Put it this way, she’s not been nicknamed Louis Vuitton Dawn for nothing. For most of the 2024 season she donned a number of monogrammed looks from the brand, rocking everything from denim jackets to Tyler, The Creator x Louis Vuitton trainers.
Caitlin Clark in Prada at the WNBA draft {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Caitlin Clark clad in a Prada ensemble at the WNBA draft night. Photo: @justjared/Instagram","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/b1836979-4197-4657-8f5f-f6d6ea9fd466_a26c17fe.jpg"} Caitlin Clark clad in a Prada ensemble at the WNBA draft night.
Photo: @justjared/Instagram Clark has been dubbed the “female Stephen Curry ” and has been breaking basketball records since college. Even before stepping onto the WNBA court she’d managed to make history on draft night by wearing head-to-toe Prada. It marked the first time the brand had dressed any basketball player, either in the WNBA or NBA, according to Us Weekly.
The number one pick at this year’s WNBA draft posed on the carpet in a matching white jacket and miniskirt ensemble with a bejewelled cropped tank, black pumps and a matching mini bag. Clark made another public appearance in Prada after joining the Indiana Fever team. The endorsement hints at the fashion world taking notice of the star power of major WNBA players and the impact the industry expects them to have off the court too.
Angel Reese at the Met Gala {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"Angel Reese at the 2024 Met Gala in New York. Photo: AP","url":"https://img.
i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/23/75290094-bf7e-4538-9194-af5bbb164d7b_97ef4bf8.jpg"} Angel Reese at the 2024 Met Gala in New York.
Photo: AP While Clark made fashion history with Prada, her apparent on-court rival Angel Reese became the first WNBA player to walk the Met Gala red carpet – she wore a mint green chiffon 16Arlington dress complete with feather tutu-style skirt. However, despite looking ethereal and relaxed at the event, some still managed to criticise the Chicago Sky player for attending at all, pointing out that it was the night before a game. In their first season, rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have helped drive up WNBA viewership to record levels across all platforms – the highest in 26 years And while the WNBA still isn’t as profitable as the NBA, the fashion world is beginning to pay attention to its top players, and dress them for big events.
