WNBA players are the next big fashion icons, styled in Dior and streetwear for events and photographed in trending pregame outfits

Women’s National Basketball Association players, from Sue Bird to Candace Parker to Kelsey Plum, regularly top social media feeds for what they wear

Their statement pieces, bright colours and streetwear are a sign of how far the WNBA’s fashion scene (traditionally feminine and heteronormative) has come

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The WNBA’s thriving fashion scene is beloved on social media, with its stars like Courtney Williams (left) and DiJonai Carrington photographed in hotly discussed pre-game outfits. Photo: Instagram

Published: 6:15pm, 16 Jul 2022

Clothes blanket Jewell Loyd’s king-size hotel bed. Black trousers, charcoal trousers, striped shorts, a long white jacket that looks like a high-fashion lab coat next to a light grey zip-up. A white, short-sleeved button down top decorated with red poppy flowers screams in the centre.

“What are we feeling?” stylist Sydney Bordonaro asks Loyd, a professional basketball player.

On any given day, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players can offer a wide array of answers to the simple question. They’re feeling cosy. Sometimes swaggy. Other times sexy.

Always ready.

Jewell Loyd during the 2022 WNBA All-Star Weekend on July 8, 2022 in Chicago. Photo: AFP

Loyd is feeling “mafia in the summer” as she looks at herself in the mirror dressed in black pinstripe trousers, a red floral shirt and low-top Dior x Air Jordan 1 sneakers that retail for more than US$8,000. She’s only worn them once, but this outfit is for a special occasion: the WNBA All-Star Game.

The Seattle guard walked the orange carpet in her prized sneakers on July 8 as the WNBA gathered in the US city of Chicago for All-Star weekend. The league’s brightest stars showed off their best looks. All-Star team captain A’ja Wilson stunned in black leather shorts and thigh-high boots. Candace Parker, welcoming the midseason event to her hometown, rocked an olive green silk suit.