Inside A’ja Wilson’s Custom All-Star Tunnel Walk Look
- July 31, 2026
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Some 60 pieces of cut fabric. Pink, black and white with scatters of silver, waterfalling toward the floor. Hoodies, tees, shorts, all sewn, snapped and tied onto a single base. Before it ever touches a body, the skirt Casey Billingsley set out to create feels less like clothing and more like a piece of art.
Designed for a legend, it is, by Billingsley’s own account, heavy. The first time the celebrity stylist lifted it from the bag, he says, it felt like picking up two 5-pound dumbbells — enough to make most people pause.
But this isn’t most people. This is A’ja Wilson. Three-time WNBA champion, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, four-time Most Valuable Player. An athlete who’s spent her career making the game’s heaviest demands look effortless.
When she slipped it on, she glided.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” says Billingsley. “And A’ja wears it with grace. She goes out on the court every night and she’s guarded the heaviest; she goes the hardest. That’s just her world, and she does it all with ease.”
The idea for the bespoke piece began with a pair of archive Nike pants Billingsley had owned for years — a patchwork of color and texture, unlike anything else in his closet. Though he’d worn them only twice, each time, strangers had stopped him on the street. “Who made these?” they’d asked. “Where are they from?”
When the chance to build something custom for A’ja’s All-Star Weekend came along, he kept coming back to them. “I’ve always loved those pants,” says Billingsley. “The paneling, the color-blocking, the way they’re pieced together. It almost feels like a collage. The moment this opportunity arose, I immediately thought of them and knew I wanted to reinterpret that idea for A’ja.”
From there, the idea took shape: something junk-styled. Tear-away panels, raw edges, seams left exposed on purpose.
Billingsley wanted every part of A’ja’s world in the design, specifically, every piece of her own A’Two collection, brought together into one single moment.
With the help of pattern maker Da Shoné by DaSh and Nike Sports Marketing Athlete Styling Services, he worked through each item piece by piece: the A’Sym tight, long-sleeve top, hoodie, Shine short, Court short, muscle tank and tee. They cut fragments from each garment and layered them onto a single base, slowly transforming dozens of individual pieces into one.
“As women’s basketball continues to evolve, events like the Tunnel Walk have become much more than a pregame ritual. They’re a cultural stage that showcases the full identity of the athlete.”
Alli Giorgi, Nike Expert Product Manager
He and his team built out two versions, a pant and a skirt, before landing on the latter, better suited to A’ja’s softer energy. The final look was finished with a high slit, paired with a cropped A’One track hoodie cinched at the waist like a corset in A’ja’s signature pink.
Billingsley says that from concept to final styling, the vision never wavered.
“It was very clear to me. I literally didn’t think of anything else for this. The initial thought is what was executed, from vision to discussion to sketch to reality. It was just there.”
Alli Giorgi, who leads product for Nike’s women’s basketball signature athletes, has spent her career watching these visions come to life. And with styling becoming increasingly important to an athlete's identity, she’s developed a keen sense of the moments that matter before they happen.
“As women’s basketball continues to evolve, events like the Tunnel Walk have become much more than a pregame ritual. They’re a cultural stage that showcases the full identity of the athlete,” she explains. “They allow players to express the duality of who they are, highlighting both their competitive excellence and their individuality off the court.”
For athletes like A’ja, Giorgi says, personal style is an extension of her impact on the game. Her influence goes beyond performance to shape culture.
“A’ja helped popularize trends like the single-leg tight look and represents a generation of athletes who fully embrace their femininity while being absolute forces in competition. That combination resonates because it challenges outdated perceptions of what an elite athlete can look like and be.”
“She wants to feel powerful without looking like she’s trying too hard. That’s a balance I really enjoy because it’s less about dressing someone and more about revealing what’s already there.”
Casey Billingsley, Stylist for A’ja Wilson's Tunnel Walk
With one-of-one projects like these, Giorgi understands that every successful collaboration starts with listening.
“It’s really important that these collections look and feel authentic to the athlete: who they want to be, what kind of vision they want to bring to life for their fans,” explains Giorgi. “I’ve worked with A’ja since the beginning, and I always tell her to make sure that she’s giving us her honest truth.”
Billingsley agrees, noting that years of working with A’ja has helped him understand her look down to its core. Style-wise, she loves pieces that have presence. She appreciates great tailoring, interesting proportions, textures, and details that tell a story.
“She wants to feel powerful without looking like she’s trying too hard,” he says. “That’s a balance I really enjoy because it’s less about dressing someone and more about revealing what’s already there.”
A’ja knows exactly who she is and doesn’t chase trends, he explains. She gravitates toward pieces that feel authentic. “She’s confident, she’s playful, she’s competitive, and she’s got that Southern warmth where she can make anybody feel comfortable. But don’t mistake that kindness for softness. There’s a real strength there.”
Being from the South himself, Billingsley says he and A’ja share an understanding that getting dressed is about more than looking good. It’s about respect — for yourself, for where you came from, and for the moment you’re stepping into.
They also know how to have fun with it.
“A’ja has a great sense of humor, so we’ll laugh through a fitting,” he says. “But when it’s time to create, she’s incredibly thoughtful. She asks questions, she’s collaborative, and she trusts the process. If it looks good on her, she’s in.”