WNBA Unveils Awesome All-Star Game Uniforms

Good Wednesday morning, Uni Watchers! For a good number of our American readers, this is your Friday, since many of you will be off for Independence Day, and, as is increasingly the American way, turning it into a four-day weekend by taking Friday off. Uni Watch will be open tomorrow through the end of the weekend although Friday may not have any breaking uni coverage … I’ll explain at the end.

I know a majority of you probably don’t follow the WNBA, or women’s sports in general, although I’m hoping we continue our increased coverage of that as we go forward. And while the WNBA does feature large uni ads, by and large, the uniforms of the league as a whole are quite good. And sometimes the league even breaks out specialty uniforms (which do get coverage on here).

But when it comes to All-Star game uniforms, the league hasn’t necessarily taken many risks with bold or cutting-edge designs. Now, there’s nothing wrong with orange vs. black, as was the case last year, but this year the league has really stepped up their ASG kits. The WNBA’s 20th All-Star Game takes place in Phoenix on Saturday, July 20th.

But last year’s uniforms did set the stage in two ways: 1) it was the first time the “Jumpman” logo had appeared on a WNBA uniform, and 2) those ASG uniforms sought to establish the WNBA’s “signature orange hue.”

For 2024, the Jordan logo will return, but rather than going with solid colors, this year features two different uniforms, with one to be worn in each half. Let’s take a look at the jerseys first.

Here are some closer looks:

The orange-pink gradient jersey (“white”) will be worn during the first half of the game. Players will return to the dressing room and will sport the black jersey — shown on the left above — for the second half. The shorts are even bolder with their color schemes.

The shorts to be paired with the black jersey feature a solid black top in a wavy pattern, with an orange-pink-purple-blue gradient going down to the hem. A black stripe runs around the hem of the shorts.

The shorts to be worn with the white jersey have a similar wavy pattern, but with the orange-pink-purple-gradient at the top, with solid white going down to the hem. One leg will have an orange gradient stripe at the hem, while the other leg will have a blue gradient.

Put together, here’s a look at the two uniforms with shorts.

Lest you think the black jersey/shorts combo is bland apart from the bottom of the shorts, a look at the jersey back tells a different story.

As you can see, the shoulders feature the same bold orange-pink gradient as seen on the bottom of the shorts. Each jersey will feature a star beneath the shoulders, numbers will be in white with tiny pinholes (to reduce the weight?), along with player NOB beneath the number. The star shown on the back features the number of All-Star appearances the player has made to date.

The back of the white jersey features a similar pattern as the black, with the block of white color at the top, and the orange-pink gradient down below. Numbers and player NOB will be in black.

The waistband of both shorts will feature “AS” and “24” with a star between.

Here’s a closer look:

There are a couple Easter eggs hidden in and near the jock tag as well — just above the size tag reads “WNBA All-Star Edition 2024” alongside 20 stars, a nod to the league’s 20th All-Star Game. A smaller tab under the size label in orange is adorned with “1 / 144” to highlight the extremely competitive and select 144 roster slots that make up the league’s total player pool.

Very cool!

Now — you may be wondering “why are the All-Stars wearing two different uniforms? Also, won’t there be two different teams of All-Stars, so where are the other uniforms?”

The league is actually doing something cool there too — the game will also include a unique format for just the second time. Instead of two sets of All-Stars forming teams and playing against one another, the All-Star Game will feature the full USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster against a dozen WNBA players also selected as All-Stars. The last time the WNBA used this format was for the 2021 All-Star Game, just ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

The “Team USA” vs. “Team WNBA” format will have the national team wearing their white uniforms against the WNBA All-Stars, who will don the gradient-fading orange and pink uniforms during the first half before switching to the black All-Star uniforms for the second half.

All-Star voting features a combination of input from fans (50%), current WNBA players (25%) and media members (25%). The top 10 vote-getters will automatically be named to the All-Star Game, with those players not already on the 5-on-5 Olympic roster assigned to Team WNBA. The 12 WNBA head coaches will pick from the next 36 highest vote-getters to fill the spots left on the 12-player All-Star roster.

Like 2021, the WNBA is holding its All-Star Game just ahead of the Olympics, so both squads (those named to the Olympic team and those who are “just” All-Stars) will be playing for more than pride. In 2021, Team WNBA defeated Team USA 93-85 in Las Vegas. Considering the U.S. women’s national team will be competing for an eighth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games beginning at the end of July, it should feature strong play and not be what has basically become a complete joke with the NBA All-Star Game.

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game will be played Saturday, July 20 (8:30 p.m. ET, on ABC) and a skills challenge and a 3-point contest will take place July 19 (6 p.m. ET, ESPN). I plan on watching.

But the uniforms are what stand out to me. What do you guys think?