One thing the players ensured this All-Star weekend? It wasn’t just going to be about basketball and competition. It was fun, fashion, and… just all things summer. Yeah, save for the beach. But Angel Reese was still reminded of Miami. Getting back, fans were excited from the orange carpet to the All-Star game; in Kelsey Plum’s words: “By far it was the most packed… 3-point contest, skills contest. The Orange Carpet was live.” And the players delivered!

From Angel Reese in ankle-length leopard print and Skylar Diggins in Cucculelli Shaheen beaded embroidery jacket, to Nneka Ogwumike in a pink dress that mirrored Nigerian styles, the W athletes owned every minute. Unsurprisingly, you had to get A’ja Wilson and Paige Bueckers on top of the list there.

The 3x MVP channeled a Greek goddess in her maroon gown with a slit up to the hip. The gold accents from Saint Laurent just tied it all up together. Wilson stunned the crowd and rightly opened the ‘WNBA orange carpet lookbook’ shared by the league. “The Orange Carpet looks went crazy, shoutout to @bumble,” the caption read on X. Following her next? Rookie Paige Bueckers.

The Dallas Wings star has turned heads more than a few times over the past years. The Coach looks for her draft day were the perfect example of what her stylist, Brittney Hampton, could pull up, even if it meant running on short notice.

So Bueckers trusted her once again for the All-Star orange carpet, and this time, she turned up in a Marni sleeveless sweater top and baggy pants with loud prints and colors. Prada shoes, a golden bracelet, chunky double-layered gold necklace, and VAVA shades were added to her classic wavy blonde hair to complete the look. Very Paige-esque if you ask us.

But this isn’t just another fashion moment for the athletes.

If the tunnel walks have taught them anything, showing up all glammed up might just be the right marketing move, an unsaid pitch, if you may. “When you have your meeting with your CEO and your bosses, you want to look your best. And that’s how I feel every game day is: These are the CEOs, the bosses. This might be the only thing that somebody sees from you is you walking in through the tunnel, and that might be the way that you get on their radar for a deal,” Dijnoi Carrington had once admitted.

But even if it was work, the All-Stars still kept it fun. You can see that in the clip. And back on court, they’d jolt back to action, like they weren’t just out giving models a run for their money.

In a 151-131 showdown –highest point total in the All-Star games history — Paige Bueckers added 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists. As for Wilson, she added 4 points and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes. However, while the spotlight was shining, the players also ensured they were putting it to good use.

Paige Bueckers finds the CBA Negotiation “disappointing”

Paige Bueckers joined WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike and Vice-President Breanna Stewart and marked her CBA negotiations debut in Indianapolis ahead of the All-Star Weekend. While the Wings rookie’s presence signified her major commitment to the league’s development, the recent talks turned out to be a major disappointment for Bueckers, as reports from insiders suggest.

Journalist Drake Keeler, retweeting a Front Office Sports post, highlighted the rookie’s statement on X through a post that read, “Wings rookie Paige Bueckers quoted here calling the league’s CBA counter-proposal ‘disrespectful’.” Dallas-based reporter Grand Afseth confirmed the same: “Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers was among the 40 WNBA players who attended the league’s in-person CBA discussion. She was among those left unimpressed by the proposal, calling it ‘disrespectful’.” And surely she isn’t the only one dissatisfied.

Unable to negotiate the terms surrounding the revenue-sharing model and salary growth, the WNBA failed to accept the terms proposed by the WNBPA. So, when the league proposed a counter-proposal instead, it left the players with a bitter taste in their mouths. Moreover, the players donned black t-shirts with the printed letters, “Pay us what you owe us” during the warm up sessions on Saturday, as a mark of protest.