Off The Court: Style of the WNBA is a new series highlighting women in sports and their impact on the global fashion industry.
A first-round pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft, 26-year-old Kysre Gondrezick has made a name for herself on and off the court. Daughter of the late NBA player Grant Gondrezick, the young guard from West Virginia University has become one of the WNBA’s fashion darlings. For Gondrezick, the art of dress has much more to do with the interior than the exterior.
“To learn the essence of being sexy without having to expose my skin,” Gondrezick explains. “I always say that fashion isn’t just clothing. It’s not just style. There’s an art behind beauty. And it starts from within first.”
Three years ago, Gondrezick achieved her hoops dreams and was drafted to the Indiana Fever, earning the highest draft selection in her alma mater’s history. The following year, the Indiana Fever waived her. After revisiting the drawing board and spending two years away from the league, Gondrezick joined the Chicago Sky training camp, becoming a team mainstay and donning the #2.
She said, “Now that I’ve worked on myself and physically prepared to be able to play at this level, [God] brought me back in time at the right moment, where women’s basketball was getting recognized and getting accepted for who I felt I wanted to be all along.”
While no one path is linear, especially not in “the toughest professional league in the world to make” according to USA Today, Gondrezick stayed true to herself and her faith—and in doing so, found her niche along the way: style. Albeit initially resistant to embracing fashion as a self-described “tomboy,” she said, guidance from icons such as Skylar Diggins-Smith and her 1988 NCAA championship-winning mother Lisa Harvey-Gondrezick slowly changed her mentality.
Now, audiences can see the Michigan native strutting down the pre-game tunnel in everything from Chanel to Saint Laurent and Mugler. Along with the likes of this year’s rookie class and fashion forward WNBA veterans such as A’ja Wilson, Arike Ogunbowale, and others, Gondrezick’s style has become a conduit for conversation both on and offline about the WNBA’s fashion capital.
When Kysre was waived from the Chicago Sky in June, it stung. Since then, Gondrezick has landed brand partnerships with Mielle Organics, appeared at the 30th anniversary ESSENCE Festival, and graced the ESPYs red carpet. Her story in the WNBA isn’t over yet, but Gondrezick is charting a new beginning.
“I didn’t feel like I had the opportunity yet to be removed. But one thing I do know is I know God all too well. He placed me here for a reason,” Gondrezick said. “And I am truly living in the transitional period of the steps He is orchestrating for me because my story is already done. I’m excited right where I’m at, but I’m also excited for where I will be. I am good, I am happy, and I think life is pretty damn good right now.”
Below Kysre Gondrezick talked to ESSENCE about how she derives inspiration from 1990s supermodels, which rookies have the best personal style, and her friendship with Angel Reese.
What has it been like seeing mainstream media catching on to the fashion in the WNBA, particularly your personal style?
It’s been humbling. It’s been refreshing as well because this isn’t my first go-round with my fan base and being in the league. This time around, everyone has seen the shift in the transition of my rebrand, from being hidden to being publicly exposed. With the platform that we as women have now, our femininity and our style, beauty, and fashion are being embraced, on top of us being able to compete against each other at the highest level. For me, in terms of what it has done with my platform, it’s just shown the essence of my beauty: naturally flawed, unapologetically in my own skin, and standing confident in that as I walk into being able to do my job.
This time around, it’s just really refreshing for me, because I stated before the season started that when people see me, I want them to see God’s light through me. In terms of my fan base and the world that has an idea of what my journey has been like, to see me come in and just be poised, refreshed, and renewed with a different spirit, it’s something that you can see in my aura. My fashion speaks volumes for itself, and I’m enjoying being embraced for being seen in my womanhood now.
What was the catalyst for that rebrand, and what direction did you take it in?
I think it was all of those facets, mainly and most importantly my spirituality, getting closer to God, getting rid of the image of what the world saw, getting into the depth of how he views me, and being comfortable in that image alone. I learned how to strip the lashes off. I learned to become comfortable [with] “less is more” and understand that who I’ve always been has been more than enough. Just getting ready to prepare for my season and making a roster came with a high level of discipline as well. In terms of my regimen, I became a Pilates girl—and I love it.
People think I’m crazy because it’s really hard, but I enjoy it. That alone changed the trajectory and the definition of my body. I knew that being able to have access [to] other fields and being around a lot of high fashion models, I saw the way that they carry themselves outside of their craft. Something I picked up on is ‘I want to look like that.” I want to carry myself in a way that I don’t have to be done up all the time. Being comfortable in just a fresh face—no makeup, my natural hair, pulling my hair back into a bun—studying their style of streetwear, leather jackets, and regular taupe colors are all things that I think transcended into me as I walk in the tunnel before my games. I always say that fashion is an aura, it’s not clothing, it’s not a style. I’m just happy to know that during that period, the body of work that I put in is speaking volumes and being embraced in all the right ways with the platform that I love doing the most—and that’s playing ball.
How did you develop your knack for style?
I never really had a moment. I was such a tomboy. My dad, you know, rest his soul, always used to have us [in] headbands and cornrows, because it was about playing basketball. It was never about femininity. During that era, women’s basketball was pretty brutal. I mean, you [had] the OGs playing, and I grew up around the Houston Comets. It was just all about ball. I think I started to shift a little bit when I got a chance to be around Skylar [Diggins-Smith] hands-on.
When I was in middle school and she was in South Bend, she took me under her wing. That’s when she was hot at Notre Dame and started the whole [feminine] aspect of women’s basketball. I started paying attention to myself a little bit more [about] how I looked going on to the court. But I truly say the foundation probably came from my mom. At the time, I thought she was just delusional with the idea of me wanting to come out after games with fur coats on, boots, and heels. And I’m just like, “No one’s doing this!” And she told me, “Baby, one day you will be the JLo of women’s basketball.” The vision was instilled [in me by] her foundation, and I’m blessed to be able to say that I’ve had a great support system around me to balance both.
How do social media comments like “Oh, look at Kysre headed to her chapter meeting” or “I want you to meet my grandmother” make you feel? Has it been affirming or overwhelming dealing with the increased attention?
I think that people are getting excited about a look that has been out of style for so long. To know that it’s coming through my platform, it’s humbling because I’ve done a lot of work to just get here. The way that I interpret is like, they see God’s light through me; during this rebrand, one of the things that I said was important to me was that statement alone. The language has changed underneath comments, tags, and mentions of me from when I first got into the league. Before it was like, “Man, she’s bad. She’s cold. She’s sexy,” and now it’s, “She’s gorgeous, she’s beautiful, she’s classy.” I think that starts [with] us as women, how we carry ourselves. If we want to be classified and acknowledged in a different way, it starts with us.
In the context of women’s basketball, Skylar Diggins-Smith pioneered the notion of brand-building through social media. Back then, she had the men of YMCMB, notably Lil’ Wayne, wearing her Notre Dame jersey and name-dropping her online. Can you tell me about your relationship with Skylar Diggins-Smith, and what principles you’ve learned from shadowing her?
My dad trained her. South Bend and Bend Harbor are not even 30 minutes apart. I went to middle school in South Bend when she was at Washington [High School] at the time. I played for her stepdad’s AAU program; she grew an infatuation with my sister and me at the time and my dad as well, wanting to train with him. Her just taking me under her wing and being able to have that direct access gave me a little booster, a kickstarter with my career as well. Now looking back at it, I didn’t know how blessed I was to be able to have such an intimate relationship with her at the time, just being young and naive.
I knew who she was, but I didn’t know her impact at the time and the way that she carried herself during her “it” season. I continue to want to give her the praise. With women’s basketball, I know we are living in a new era, in a new generation with social media. These new girls that have just come out of this rookie class have helped to enhance the popularity of the women’s league nowadays, but it was always women before us that paved the way. I think that Skylar’s brand still speaks volumes, because if you think about it today in the league, everyone wears a headband because of her.
What do you believe is your fashion staple, and why do you gravitate towards that piece of clothing?
I think it’s the blazer, for me. You can never go wrong with a blazer. You can never go wrong with a leather jacket [either]. But I would say what I’ve taken heed to the most in terms of my stamp in this league right now, for women and fashion in general, would be the “90s Look.” A lot of people are saying, “She gives 90s aura or 90s beauty — and it’s refreshing to see!” Truly that’s what I feel my style emulates because I did a lot of studying in terms of how I wanted to look. I definitely looked up Princess Diana, looked at the fashion models, supermodels back in the day, and how they carried themselves. It’s funny because all the clothes that my mom once got me before, I never wore them until now.
Luckily, I’ve gotten my little self in shape where I could fit those clothes, but it goes to show that those pieces truly never go out of style. You have to be able to express who you are and to be able to have a good-grade collection of clothing where you can switch your pieces out. You can look wealthy because of the aura — not the price tag — and because of the presence that you walk in with. Those are some of the things that I take value in in terms of my style moving forward. So far, that has probably been my trademark and it’s not a bad trademark. I enjoy it! They’re always going to probably expect that out of me. [the girls on the team] said, “One thing about Ky, she gon’ put on a suit!” So I am a suit girl, and I don’t have a problem being that.
It seems like you put a conscious effort into thinking about how you want to present, show up, and step into your full self. During your research, was there something or someone’s style that you found fascinating or were there certain modes of dressing you picked up on?
I looked at Haley Bieber and her style. As I continued to learn different looks and bodies of clothing, I played with style a lot to figure out what fits me. One of the things that’s most important is I understood that the way I wanted to dress, my body had to be able to be in the frame of that style. That’s something that I took into high consideration and something I became passionate and more disciplined about; I’m a firm believer that you can have on a piece of attire and clothing and if it does not fit your body, it will not give off the look that you anticipated it giving. I knew that that was something for me. When I put on a dress shirt, when I put on slacks, or when I put on jeans, I just want them to lay on me.
I’ve learned how to play with style and what works for me — and to be able to take away some of the pieces from the idols that I took a look at. Gisele [Bündchen] back in the day [wore] blue jeans, shorts, leather boots, and a blazer. I’m just like, “That is so grown woman to me!” So, I just try to find something that fits where I am internally. I think that’s why my style is resonating because you can see my fashion through my aura, you can see my fashion through my spirit. I think that’s something that we as women continue to struggle with every day, especially as new generations come and social media gets lifted higher. We always feel like we need to chase this false reality, this illusion of beauty that is never-ending.
For people who want to emulate your style, and for tall women especially, are there particular retailers or designers you’re loving at the moment?
I’m a very thrifty and vintage-type person. My favorite jeans are Levi’s. I love the way that they fit. I like the 501 Originals. I’m not a big fan of tight jeans, so I like for my jeans to slide off my hips a little bit. But I love Levi’s. For more high-end, I love Saint Laurent suits and blazers, Balenciaga trench coats, and their leather jackets. But I’ve also found a good grade of them in thrift stores, learning about different brands like the Ann Taylors and their dress shirts. There are so many, but I would say probably on the higher end, those brands stand out to me. I love Calvin Klein dress shirts the most because of the material, and how thick they are. It’s so important in terms of the dress shirt and how you wear it because it can be too thin. I’m the type of girl when I wear a dress shirt underneath my blazer or a jacket, I want to pop my collar and pull it over the top! The detail of styling matters. You can wear something but when you style it, it’s completely different.
Then, I’m a boot girl.I love leather boots. In terms of heels, I have really grown to love Christian Louboutin. It’s so funny because I know so many people have done TikToks of me like, “There’s no way she’s walking in the tunnel with these red bottoms on, the ones that Zendaya wears. These are known to be the most uncomfortable shoes! And she walks in and just takes it every single time.” It’s funny because the first time I wore them was for fashion week last year—and my feet were on fire. I’ve learned to become comfortable in them. Those are by far my favorite shoe to wear right now, for sure.
Tell me a little bit about your thought process when you’re styling yourself.
I find that I go off of how I feel for the day. I do know at home games so far this season, I definitely put in a little bit more time versus on the road. On the road is when I’m like, “Okay, I’m gonna pick out which jeans I’ll wear, I’m gonna style it with a leather jacket and go from there.” The one look that got a lot of hype that I spent not even five minutes putting together was when we were in D.C. I had on a blue button-up dress shirt with some little black jean shorts and a gold belt on and no makeup. I didn’t even do my hair and I just came walking in—and the picture just went viral. Online they were like, “Wow, she is giving Angelina Jolie vibes. This is Kysre Jolie.”
I just go with the flow. I know that if I did like a suit before, I’d try to mix it up and do a different look. I go off of the dress shirt, then the blazer, and go to my pants from there– I just play with it. I’m a firm believer that with the clothes that I have in my closet, I can do no wrong. I can and will put something together. I would say the biggest thing that I’m probably in love with the most right now in terms of my style is my stockings. I don’t know if I’m bringing them back or not, but everyone laughs at me for him! When I did the Chanel look, the attention that I got from the men was funny. They said, “We don’t see women wearing stockings anymore!” And I love a good stocking. If I’m gonna put on dress slacks or dressy shorts, I’m like, “I gotta rock with stockings.” That’s just the era right now. That’s an important detail for me and my style.
You’ve alluded to your friendship with Angel Reese, so who are the WNBA rookies you think are dominating style-wise?
That’s my girl. I gotta start with Angel because her style truly resembles her personality. Her style is loud, her personality is loud and she’s unapologetically herself. I would say outside of her, the girl that I am just obsessed with the most in terms of how she carries herself at her age is Cameron Brink. That girl is bad! She is gorgeous. For her to be a tall girl and to have the look that she has—I mean, legs for days—that girl will be on somebody’s runway, rightfully so. For me to pick up on her style, it’s beautiful for me to watch because it took me around 25 or 26 to get to this level of what I wanted to look like.
How have you seen the convergence of the relationship between the W and fashion change and grow over time from when you first entered the league in 2021?
Now that I’ve worked on myself and physically prepared to be able to play at this level, He brought me back in time at the right moment, [when] women’s basketball was getting recognized and getting accepted for who I felt I wanted to be all along. [Having] been placed back in position to be able to get this recognition and authentically be myself this time around, it’s refreshing for the league. It’s refreshing for the young women [who] are coming behind us and for what the future is going to look like.
Because I am a woman’s girl, I’m a girl’s girl. We always talk about how women should embrace each other. But you know, we are competitive. There is room for everyone. To see the girls all coming in and being unapologetically themselves and learning to express who they are through their styles—and there’s more of them doing that—I’m just so excited to see not only women’s basketball, but what women’s sports, in general, can transcend to.
Economically, this world may be made for men but women, we make this thing around, so just having that impact can go to show how powerful we really are in terms of being beautifully and wonderfully made, but also being able to still compete “like men,” so they say. As women, we carry a lot of different hats. Being in the sports world now and to see women doing all facets of those different categories— and for our male counterparts to embrace that—it’s truly a testament to the sky being the limit for women in general. It will be an exciting time moving forward. I just can’t wait. I am truly humbled to know that my presence has had an impact.