Following Paige Bueckers’ Iconic Hair Transformation, 10x All-Star Gears Up for Appearance Change Ahead of New WNBA Season

With the WNBA season right around the corner, the stars all want to show up at their sharpest. Paige Bueckers, for one, appears ready for her LeagueFits debut, a page where her best friend Nika Muhl was a consistent feature last season. Coming off a strong National Championship campaign at UConn, Bueckers was loved by Huskies for more reasons than her offensive firepower. The personable superstar was a TikTok sensation during her time in Storrs, but it was her game day braids that the fans fell in love with. Some young girls even showed up to Huskies’ games with their hair braided just like Bueckers, dreaming of being like the 1st pick one day.

While Bueckers gained popularity for her braided hairstyle during her college career, it has been a staple for the Edina native since her high school days. The iconic look with two skinny front braids on either side of a middle part came about by chance during her high school years in Minnesota. Around her junior year, while playing AAU basketball, the mother of one of her teammates suggested the style and even helped Paige in braiding her hair, unknowingly giving birth to something iconic.

Although the braids had a nice run, Bueckers now wishes to upgrade her hairstyle entering the WNBA. When asked on NBC’s “Nightly Kids” whether the braids will be sticking around in the WNBA, Bueckers indicated a change. “I think it’s time for a switch up,” Bueckers said. “The braids, they had a good run, and so I might switch it up now.” While this could be a cause of disappointment to the Wings fans or the organization which must’ve wanted to market on their new star’s iconic style, Bueckers believes it is time to let her hair take a break from the perfection for once. “I need to give my hair a break and let it breathe a little bit, so, a break from the braids,” she said. When asked what hairstyle she’ll be donning next, she said, “I think maybe a little slick back ponytail might be the wave, maybe bun ponytail.”

So, as Paige elevates her style with training camp under a week away, there is another star who shifted away from her own iconic hairstyle in recent years but now seems set to change it up again before the season kicks off. We’re talking about none other than 10-time All-Star, Brittney Griner. Brittney recently posted a story on Instagram that read, “Looking for a loc shop to get my hair done at in the ATL! If yall know one hit my inbox!” Is this a sign that we might see a comeback of the famed dreadlocks before she begins her career for the Atlanta Dream? Hopefully.

Griner’s long, intricately styled honey-hued locks have been gone a while now. In 2022, Grinner was arrested by the Russian police for the possession of a substance that is legal in some states of the USA, but not in Russia. Griner later clarified she had no intent to break Russian law when she flew to Moscow. “I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my life,” she said. The US government then got in touch with the Russians and organized a prisoner swap, but Britney had already spent 293 days in a Russian prison, and when she did return home, the change was there for all to see. Britney had to let go of the hair she held so dear to her. “It’s very cold in there and every time she washed her hair she got cold and would get a chill,” Griner’s Russian attorney Maria Blagovolina told ESPN when explaining why Griner cut it.

But as the ghosts of the past are way behind Griner now, and with her hair having grown back out, the story indicates it might be time we see the 2014 Finals MVP back in her element with a comeback of the dreadlocks imminent. And while the style alone is cause for excitement, Bueckers and Griner would hope they can deliver performances that go with their bold looks.

New homes await the new hairstyles

As the offseason saw major moves across the league, the one that stood out was Brittney Griner signing with the Atlanta Dream after spending 11 long seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and winning her first championship there.

Griner brings a veteran presence to a promising Atlanta side. The team contains a young core with two-time All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray on the wings, with the 2x All-Defense point guard Jordin Canada featuring in the backcourt. After being swept in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons, the team hopes to take the next step. They brought in FGCU head coach Karl Smesko to modernize what was the worst offense in the WNBA in 2024. However, there are still uncertainties with respect to how the team will come along, and they are still far away from elite teams like the New York Liberty or Las Vegas Aces.

While Grinner is 34 and heading towards the dusk of her career, Paige’s story has just begun. So, unlike the Dream, who want to maximize Grinner’s time with them to contend for a championship now, the Wings would have different goals for the upcoming season. It is clear that the Wings want to build a solid core around Paige through which they can compete for years to come. So while the scoring ability of Arike Ogunbowale is sure to help take the burden off Paige as she settles into the WNBA, defensive acquisitions such as DiJonai Carrington highlight that the team is already well-rounded.

The post Following Paige Bueckers’ Iconic Hair Transformation, 10x All-Star Gears Up for Appearance Change Ahead of New WNBA Season appeared first on EssentiallySports.