Sub out the sweat pants. Bench the sports bras. Send the sneakers to the showers. It's WNBA draft night, and prospects across the country are putting a stop to the #sweatpants trend that has settled over our spring. The top women's basketball prospects in the world will be bringing their fashion A-games for a night like no other -- straight out of their living rooms.
The WNBA draft, originally scheduled to be held in New York, will go virtual Friday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App) because most of the country is under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That doesn't mean it will be a casual affair. The draftees will follow in the fancy footsteps of prospects past, who have graced the WNBA's orange carpet, spiced up the NBA draft and turned the NFL's red carpet pink (remember Kyler Murray?).
"I usually spend my nights at home in sweats," Princeton forward and projected first-round pick Bella Alarie said. "But draft night only comes once in a lifetime."
From flashy shoes (we see your red-sole specials, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan) to stylish 'dos, here's a sneak peek at the fashion statements players will rock on their big night.
Kiah Gillespie
The 6-foot-2 forward out of Florida State said her "cute and stylish" outfit has been sitting in her closet, just waiting for the right occasion to be unleashed on the world. "This is that moment," she said. Inspired by singer/actress/Disney Channel legend Zendaya, Gillespie will be donning a black top, black jacket and gold jewelry. But she wants to point to the pants. "I went with plaid pants because they really make the outfit pop," she said.
MORE: Mechelle Voepel's mock draft
Mikayla Pivec
The former Oregon State shooting guard has had her outfit picked out since the spring of 2019. Just one problem: She left it in Corvallis, Oregon, before heading to Boise, Idaho, to ride out the coronavirus pandemic with her sister. No worries. The 5-foot-10 Pivec hit the road, all 450 miles of it, to retrieve the outfit, which she says was inspired by Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation." "I thought it was a classy, minimalist look," Pivec said. "I haven't been this dressed up since I attended the homecoming dance in high school."
Jocelyn Willoughby
It has been 10 years since a player from Virginia was chosen in the WNBA draft. Willoughby, who led the ACC in scoring (19.2 PPG) as a senior, had to dig deep to find just the right look to mark the end of the drought. "Due to the pandemic ... I had to search through my old wardrobe at my parents' house," she said. "This turned out to be the only dress that I had left." Willoughby says the dress still suits her style. "I think the look is just me: natural and simple but classy."
Crystal Dangerfield
The former UConn point guard credits her mom for the assist in picking out her outfit. Dangerfield bought it after the Huskies completed their perfect run in the AAC tournament and before her senior season was cut short by the pandemic. Her driving force was finding something that was both comfortable and cute. "I chose to wear black because it's bold yet sophisticated," said Dangerfield, who averaged 14.9 points in her final season with the Huskies. The choice brilliantly checks another box on her wish list: "I wanted to wear something that accentuates my arms."
Bella Alarie
Of course the Princeton product figured out a way to merge the best of both worlds. "I wanted to dress up a little bit for the draft and get out of the sweats and T-shirts I've been wearing for the past few weeks, but I also wanted to be comfy at home," Alarie said. The 6-foot-4 forward who averaged 17.5 points per game is sticking with her everyday white Nike Air Force 1 shoes and Topshop pants, but she turned to Rent The Runway to find her A.L.C top. But the item that means the most to her? "My necklace is super special to me since it was given to me from my grandma, Mimi," she said.