See the WNBA’s Slam Dunk Fashion Evolution With Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and More
Hoop, there’s the fashion.
Since its launch in 1996, the WNBA has been bringing the net gains on the court and kept the fashion balling on the sidelines.
With game two of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries getting underway at San Francisco’s Chase Center Oct. 19—and airing on E!, USA Network and CNBC—the star players were ready for their own Glambot moments.
And the pregame tunnel certainly offered players like the Dream’s Indya Nivar and Brionna Jones a chance to flex their fashion muscles.
“This year I’ve been trying to figure out my own sense of style because in college I didn’t really have a chance to express that,” Nivar told USA Sports’ WNBA courtside reporter Terrika Foster-Brasby on Live From the Orange Carpet: WNBA Finals 2026. “So throughout the year, dabbling in different creative spots, make sure I’m comfortable. I know I like the streetwear style, but making it a little bit chic and feminine.”
Jones had a similar philosophy, telling Brasby her personal style is “comfortable, but classy and chic.”
“If I look back and I see pictures,” she explained, “I want to look back five years from now and be like, ‘Yeah, I still like that outfit.’”
And fashion has been dribbling into the DNA of the WNBA even before its founding, with basketball stars like Sheryl Swoopes—who played for the Houston Comets, Seattle Storm and Tulsa Shock—making history as the first women’s basketball player to have a Nike shoe named after her with the “Air Swoopes” in 1995.
Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images; Michael Hickey/Getty Images
While the early years of the WNBA kept the sports fashion simple, it soon became nothing but net when Brittney Griner took center court for the Phoenix Mercury in 2013 with her dapper, tailored suits that instantly became a sensation within the WNBA.
Soon enough, glam was the name of the game, creating a dunk dynasty with players like the Chicago Sky’s Skyler Diggins opting for bold glamour while Seattle Storm star Sue Bird wowed the crowds with her cool streetwear.
Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images
In recent years, the basket has been raised even higher in the player tunnel with A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces scoring a three pointer with her polished ‘fits, the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese bring all the dreamy looks, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever guarding her glam vibes and the Los Angeles Spark’s Cameron Brink offering designer moments that have made the fashion of the WNBA one to watch.
For a deep dive into all the slam dunk facts about the WNBA, keep reading.
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Photo by Bobby Goddin/Getty Images
1. The WNBA was founded in 1996.
2. When the league first tipped off, there were eight teams total: Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz.
As of the 2026 season, there are 15, with the addition of the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, Portland Fire, Seattle Storm, Toronto Tempo and Washington Mystics.
However, there have been many pivots in the league’s three decades as the Starzz were relocated to San Antonio and then Las Vegas while the Sting, Rockers, Monarchs and Rockets folded. But Tilman Fertitta purchased the Connecticut Sun with plans to rebrand them down in Texas.
3. At the ripe old age of 30, the WNBA is the oldest women’s professional sports league in North America.
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/WNBAE/Getty Images
4. The first ever WNBA game featured the New York Liberty facing the Los Angeles Sparks in L.A.
5. The matchup between two-time champion Lisa Leslie and Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Lobo took place on June 21, 1997.
6. Leslie won back-to-back championship with the Sparks in 2001 and 2002—the same year she recorded the first WNBA in-game dunk.
7. New York Liberty’s Teresa Weatherspoon had the first buzzer-beater in an WNBA Finals game in 1999 when she heaved up a shot from beyond half court with less than three seconds left. Though she has said she knew it would go in, “You feel like you’re living it in slow motion.”
Photo by Mitchell Layton/WNBAE/Getty Images
8. Years after she finished her championship-winning college career at Texas Tech, future four-time champ Sheryl Swoops was the first player signed by the WNBA.
9. The three-time MVP also had the league’s first triple-double in 1999.
10. Houston Comets forward Tina Thompson was the first WNBA college draft pick, chosen first in the 1997 draft after finishing her run at the University of Southern California.
11. She and her teammates were the first WNBA Champions, defeating the Liberty on Aug. 30, 1997.
Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images
12. Houston’s point guard Cynthia Cooper was the first WNBA MVP, earning the trophy both in 1997 and 1998.
13. The first WNBA Rookie of the Year was Tracy Reid, the Charlotte Sting guard earning the honors in 1998.
14. Some key stats of WNBA play: Games are played with four quarters that are 10 minutes each.
15. The WNBA season takes place from May until October, with each team playing 44 games.
16. Across 29 seasons, the Seattle Storm, the Minnesota Lynx and the Houston Comets hold the most WNBA Championships, with four a piece.
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
17. However, Rebekkah Brunson has won a total of five championships—the most of any player—scoring wins with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005, the Minnesota Lynx in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. She now serves as an assistant coach for the Minneapolis-based squad.
Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
18. Only three current WNBA teams have never won a championship: the Atlanta Dream, Connecticut Sun and Dallas Stars, which selected UConn standout Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 pick in 2026.
19. Candace Parker is the only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP during the same season in 2008.
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
20. G’day indeed. Australian Lauren Jackson won two championships with the Storm, four Olympic medals and three MVP honors, making her the first (and, to date, only!) non-American to nab the trophy.
(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
21. Whitney Houston sang the National Anthem at the inaugural WNBA All-Star Game in 1999.
22. Only one WNBA All-Star Game has gone into overtime, when the East defeated the West in 2014.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
23. Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson is always a smart bet. She was the first WNBA player to score 1,000-plus points in one season in 2024, the same year she won her third MVP title.
24. She also shares the WNBA single-game scoring record with Liz Cambage, each center knocking in a total of 53 points.
25. With four MVP honors in all, the University of South Carolina alum Wilson has the most in the league, and is a favorite to repeat in 2026.
26. Among her challengers: Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, who holds the record for most assists in a single WNBA game at 19.
Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
27. The WNBA all-time leader in points, three-pointers, field goals and free throws, Diana Taurasi—who retired in 2024 after 20 years in Phoenix—is the first WNBA player to hit 1,000 three-point shots, reaching the milestone in 2018.
28. Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles has recorded the most career double-doubles in WNBA history with 194.
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
29. Sue Bird is the only WNBA player to net three championship titles in three different decades, the retired point guard raising the trophy with her Seattle teammates in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020.
30. Sometimes that’s just the way the ball bounces. The longest game in WNBA history went into quadruple overtime in 2001.
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