Breaking into the W comes with an unspoken rule: show up and stand tall for your squad, even if you are benched. And that’s exactly what Natasha Cloud did on 8th July, when her New York Liberty took on the Las Vegas Aces. Before the game, she said, “There is zero panic from this f—— team, zero. We’re gonna be fine.” Then on the D-day, she showed up with nothing but enthusiasm and loud cheers, even after dealing with a left hip injury. And it’s safe to say that her squad played really fine, with an 87-78 win. That, however, wasn’t the only fine making headlines. While the Liberty handled business on the hardwood, Cloud made a statement of her own, one that may have caught the league’s attention in more ways than one.

Cloud showed up in a cream-colored, oversized sleeveless vest that hung low and loose, giving off an effortlessly casual vibe. Paired with wide-leg, earth-toned pants that pooled over her chunky, high-shine black loafers, the look was laid-back yet put together. But it was the black-and-white baseball hat that really tied the outfit together, and also stirred up headlines. So, while it may have been the centerpiece of her style, it soon became the centerpiece of a fine warning controversy.

That cap didn’t sit well with league protocol. And Natasha Cloud did not back down from taking it to X. There she posted, “I don’t understand why I receive a fine warning for wearing a hat on the bench for a game I was unable to play in? I just feel like I wanna be alone lolllzzz.” Though she conveyed it in a light-hearted manner, the frustration was obvious. Because, as it seems, Cloud has always been a fan of hats. An X account once posted a picture of her in a navy and white baseball hat. It had the phrase “New York or Nowhere.” She uses it as a simple expression of her love for the city and the team she reps.

However, it isn’t the first time the W has imposed restrictions on self-expression. “We used to get fined if we had ripped jeans on.  On road trips, you had to be dressed in slacks and penny loafers and a button-up,” Diana Taurasi once revealed, while recalling the WNBA’s rigid dress code history. But, of course, Taurasi wasn’t one to play by the rules without a little pushback. She cleverly sidestepped the fines by flipping the script. If the league wanted her to dress like a businesswoman, they could start by booking her a business class seat.

What exact rule Cloud violated, you ask? That’s still unclear. Unlike the NBA, which has a clearly outlined and publicly accessible dress code, the WNBA operates in more of a gray area. The NBA leaves little room for confusion. Its rulebook explicitly states that “The dress code forbids the wearing of hats, “do-rags,” chains, medallions, jeans, sneakers and jerseys. While players are on the team bench, at press conferences or on team trips.” In the W, though, things aren’t quite as transparent. Fines aren’t always publicly disclosed, and the policies themselves can feel vague, leaving players and fans alike guessing what crosses the line.

Natasha Cloud Isn’t New to This…

Back in 2016, the WNBA faced major backlash after fining teams like the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, and Washington Mystics, not for anything said, but for what they wore. The players had chosen to wear plain black warm-up shirts in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, responding to a string of police-related shootings in Falcon Heights, Baton Rouge, and Dallas. The league called it a uniform violation and handed down fines. But the players didn’t fold. Instead, they pushed back, doubling down on their message and using the moment to take an even stronger stand.

One of the most active of them all was Natasha Cloud. She spelled out their position plainly for the authorities and the media. She said, “We’re allowed to wear whatever we want to the games, to and from the games. So if they’re going to take away our right and our voice to advocate for something so important to 70 percent of the league which is African American, we’ll find other ways to do it… wear our shirts to and from the game and use the media [to express ourselves],” (USA Today’s Nina Mandell).

The Mystics even boycotted post-game interviews unless the questions were about social justice. Their stand drew a lot of attention. They even had NBA players like Carmelo Anthony backing them. He told The Undefeated, “Everybody has freedom of speech… I don’t see why there would be a reason for those ladies to get fined.” Under pressure, the ex-WNBA President Lisa Borders dropped the fines and upheld the players’ right to protest. For Natasha Cloud and her teammates, this matchup was bigger than basketball, and they emerged as winners there.