As Allisha Gray walked to the sidelines after her chance at the 2024 All-Star weekend’s 3-point contest, everyone saw her without glasses. But on the floor, she always had them. Something similar is the case during other games. She pulls them on as she steps into the court and pops them right off later. It has been an interesting observation for many followers as to why the 2x WNBA All-Star shows this behavior. Interestingly, for her, it is not just a protective gear but an on-court fashion statement of sorts.

As the 7-year veteran becomes the only WNBA player to win the Skills Challenge and the 3-point contest in the same year, people are wondering just how this fashion came to be. Let us dig deeper into all the reasons why Allisha Gray wears glasses and the origin of it all.

Talking to Jameelah Johnson of the WNBA, Allisha Gray took us back to the tryouts for the qualifying Olympics 3×3 tournament in 2023. She told Johnson, “I remember playing, I went up for a rebound and as I was going up, one of the practice guys just poked me in my eye. It was a little temporary blindness for a little minute so from then on, I was like ‘Oh, let me try the goggles’ and from there on I just liked the way they fit and protected my eyes.”

Surely, there is that ‘protection‘ aspect. But there’s a lot more to the story than meets the ‘lenses.’ The Atlanta Dream’s All-Star guard, who is now quite famous for wearing glasses, has set the trend that is slowly taking over the league. Or at least her team. Now, her teammates Rhyne Howard and Naz Hillmon also rock the same fashion on the trend.

Allisha Gray and her plethora of glasses

Speaking about that, Allisha Gray said, “They’re just very supportive. But we all just like to have fun, we all do it for fun.” Another funny story that runs amongst the Dream stars is how many glasses the guard carries with her. She told Johnson how her teammates would wear hers because she carries a lot of the pairs, “I own a lot of goggles, lots of lenses. I can’t count how many but I own a lot.”

Many players wear glasses if it is prescribed to them, or they wish to improve their visibility. Many also wear them to protect their eyes. Hence, it is certainly not a new thing. But many athletes would not miss a chance to mention how annoying and hindering the gears can be. However, Allisha Gray has set another likeness for them as she rocks the pair on the court and slays with it.

For now, we will see Allisha Gray wear the All-Star jersey as she takes on the Team USA tomorrow. She will be coached by another fashionista of her time and the 3x Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller.