The orange carpet walks that tip off WNBA All-Star Weekend are always a hit, as players get a chance to put eccentric flair on display.
For most, it's a level up from those gameday tunnel walks we love to see. And while some do their own fit checks, it's also a night some of the league's biggest names make their stylists proud.
Sydnee Paige must have been. We'll get to her in a moment.
Azzi Fudd told Paige earlier this year that basketball had to be her top priority, as she didn't want to worry about what she looked like or what she was wearing as she embarked on the most important time in her life.
Yeah, well, the Dallas Wings rookie strolled her first orange carpet as an All-Star on Thursday as cool as a crisp breeze on a chill December morning.
Flashing her dazzling smile, Fudd pulled off an unbuttoned plaid blazer that modestly revealed a black leather bralette and sculpted abs, to go along with patchwork jeans that were accessorized by a black belt, a black Coach handbag and black leather pumps.
It wasn't the first time Fudd effortlessly bedazzled photographers with her style this season.
And while the 23-year-old, along with several others, has been gracing camera lenses across the league, the magic for them begins behind the scenes with one of the rapidly growing stylists in the sports-fashion industry.
Meet Sydnee Paige
It was 2010, when Paige was attending the University of Alabama, and she couldn't get enough of Russell Westbrook's tunnel walks. His confidence and swagger overflowed, grabbing her attention every game. If he was walkin', Paige was watchin'.
By the time she moved to New York in 2014 and was working at Vince Camuto, her interest grew while working on sets and assisting stylists, as she started paying closer attention and realizing there was more to celebrities and athletes than just choosing outfits.
There were actual people behind the stars and their clothes.
By the time she left her corporate gig in 2016, Paige was assisting celebrity stylists who were dressing megastars such as Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez and Kerri Washington.
"That's really when I felt like I had started making my way into that world," Paige said during a recent exclusive with Ballislife.
Fast forward to 2025, when she began creating her own world, where WNBA fans don't realize they've been entranced because of the outfits they've become enamored by. Outfits Paige is styling for a few of the sport's biggest names.
And while her roster of clients doesn't necessarily run deep, for Paige, it's quality over quantity.
Along with Fudd, the 34-year-old fashion wizard also styles WNBA veterans Chelsea Gray and Skylar Diggins, league analysts Andraya Carter and Monica McNutt, and NBA star Marvin Bagley III.
Since aligning with Carter for NBA and WNBA draft nights, before styling any players, she credits the impeccably dressed analyst for playing a huge role in growing her brand.
One of the best-dressed television personalities, even beyond sports, Carter's brilliance behind a microphone is oft-accompanied by equally brilliant ensembles. Thus, Paige said, this past year has evolved her career dramatically.
"So many people were talking about her looks, and that was a big moment for me in that space," Paige said. "It's been so many moments, right? Each moment has led to the next, to the next, to the next. I feel like every single moment has been so important and just really like helped get to where I am now.
"So yeah, Andraya has been such a huge part in that."
Being Versatile
In separate interviews with Ballislife, Fudd, Gray and Diggins all shared similar sentiments when it came to working with Paige: that her versatility and willingness to listen first and style second made them feel comfortable. They wanted their personalities to be revealed in what they decided to wear that day. They didn't want to feel restricted to one look. The brands might clash, or the colors may not make sense, but they wanted to feel good.
And while Fudd wanted comfort and fun, Gray and Diggins were a bit more eclectic.
For Gray, it might be trousers and a muscle shirt revealing her sleek muscular build one night, a rugby shirt and cargo shorts the next game, or a single-breasted pinstriped suit to finish a homestand.
With Diggins, it's a whole other ballgame. One of the most talked-about tunnel walks since they became a part of the WNBA's pregame culture, Diggins continues to set her own standard.
"My style in the league has definitely evolved," Diggins said. "First coming into the league, I felt like we didn't really have people paying too much attention to the things that we had on, even though I felt like we were very relevant to pop culture, to fashion.
"Just having somebody that understands your vision for yourself, how you want to present yourself, how you look. I'm very particular with my looks, and so just having somebody that pays attention to those details so closely and doesn't make it a cookie-cutter thing. ... It's great to have somebody that you know collaborates with you and kind of feeds into the idea of how you want to look, but also introduces new ideas for you to try and implement that you might not have thought of before."
Gray said she has come to appreciate how Paige understands her style and how she doesn't fit into a box, and would rather try different things.
"But also the organization of it," Gray said. "She has head-to-toe accessories, all of that."
The Storyteller
All three players said many of the outfits we see them wear were picked out well in advance, and it's just a matter of when they'll pull them out of the garment bag.
Whether it's a specific look for a certain city, or a special theme night during a home game, Paige wants her players to tell a story when they enter an arena, and make that one- or two-minute walk to the locker room special.
Sometimes, it might entail a special meeting with Paige, and they know she's a phone call away.
"She did such a phenomenal job taking out chill outfits, where I'd be comfortable, cute, and still very much me," Fudd said about their first meeting. "And that's why I love her; she knows my style so well. She knows I love being comfortable above all else. Making sure that you have a stylist that knows you, you're comfortable with, and you can go back and forth.
"If I don't like something she picks out, I can talk to her about that: what I like, what I don't like, what I want to change. But she's been amazing to work with this past year. For someone who's new to this, she makes it so simple."
Azzi Fudd made her #WNBA Orange Carpet debut last night! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/fZfGwlkUIw
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 24, 2026
And like a coach who knows her players and how to guide them and bring out the best in them, Paige has become a master at what she does.
"Everyone feels like a new challenge, because everyone is so different; they're so versatile," Paige said. "I really do have to have a different mindset with everybody. Those three are so diverse, but they're also just completely different from Andraya, who is completely different (than) Monica.
From different brands, to different sizing, to different stories to tell - Paige is the author for each one of her clients.
"That's the part of my job that I love the most," Paige said. "I really have to dig deeper ... not just what they want to wear, but it's about how they want to feel, it's about how they want to show up. I really have to like dive deep into each of those things.
"I'm just grateful that we have that connection and that they feel I do a great job with that."
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
