• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 16, 2025

No. 1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers in Coach

Coach is the newest brand to team up with the WNBA, announcing a multiyear partnership to blend its “Courage to Be Real” platform with the league’s rising star power and cultural capital. The luxury fashion house will also become the presenting sponsor of WNBA Pride, and an associate sponsor of the 2025 All-Star Game.

The move marks Coach’s latest bid to tap into the fast-growing energy around women’s sports, where performance and personal style increasingly share the spotlight. That trend was on display at this week’s WNBA Draft, where Coach outfitted five top picks, including No. 1 Paige Bueckers, in a custom-made suit. The other athletes in Coach included Sonia Citron (Notre Dame), Kiki Iriafen (USC), Aneesah Morrow (LSU), and Hailey Van Lith (TCU). The second pick, Dominique Malonga of France, wore Louis Vuitton.

While viewership for the draft fell short of last year’s record set by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese mania, it still drew 1.25 million viewers, making it the second-highest in WNBA history and up 199% from 2023, according to ESPN.

Coach is also stepping into a more activist role, becoming the new presenting sponsor of WNBA Pride. That platform, launched in 2014, was the first of its kind in major league sports to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s campaign will include a continuation of the “Pride Is Love” content series on the WNBA app and in nationally televised games.

“Coach and the WNBA share a belief in the power of self-expression,” said Joon Silverstein, Coach’s CMO, in the announcement. “We’re excited to support athletes who are breaking molds both on and off the court.”

The fashion-forward partnership comes at a moment of accelerating commercial interest in women’s sports. Deloitte estimates global women’s sports revenues nearly doubled in 2024 to $1.88 billion, and projects $2.35 billion for 2025. While TV ratings for the NCAA tournament and WNBA are normalizing after last year’s surge, growth remains solid. This year’s NCAA championship, featuring UConn and South Carolina, pulled 8 million viewers.

Other WNBA sponsors include State Farm, Nike, Ally, Glossier, and Bumble -- proof that the league is becoming a meaningful battleground for brands eager to align with purpose, visibility, and next-gen influence.