Engineering:Leg sleeve
A leg sleeve is a compression garment, similar to leggings but only covering one leg. The accessory became popular in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) after the 2018 season, when rookie A'ja Wilson fashioned a leg sleeve from a pair of leggings and wore it to avoid leg pain. Wilson became associated with the style, and she collaborated with Nike to release a version of the accessory in 2024. Other athletes who have worn leg sleeves include WNBA players Te'a Cooper and Angel Reese and soccer player Lynn Williams.
Description
Leg sleeves are a compression garment worn to optimize blood flow. They are often padded or moisture-wicking. Basketball players may wear a sleeve on one or both legs.[1]
History
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A precursor to the leg sleeve was the one-legged catsuit often worn by sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner in the 1980s.[2][3] Arm and leg sleeves first became a trend in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 2000s, popularized by Allen Iverson.[1][4] In the 2010s, two-legged compression leggings were a popular accessory in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). A'ja Wilson set a trend of wearing leg sleeves in 2018, her first WNBA season. She was the only player that season to wear a single leg sleeve.[2] Some fans have credited Te'a Cooper with originating the style, though she first wore it a year after Wilson.[5]
Wilson began wearing a leg sleeve when her first day of training resulted in discomfort in her left leg, and a trainer suggested that she keep her leg warm. She disliked the restrictive feeling of leggings, so she cut a pair of leggings to only cover one leg. This became a tradition for Wilson, who hand-cut a leg sleeve at the beginning of every WNBA season. She wore leg sleeves at every competition except for the 2020 Olympics, due to a team uniform rule.[2]
In the 2019 WNBA season, Wilson began noticing fans on social media emulating her style and receiving messages about it.[2] As she gained fame, the trend became popular among WNBA players.[6] She told The Washington Post in 2024, "I didn't think it was something that people would pay attention to," and said, "I feel like it's a part of my legacy."[2] Some players, such as Michaela Onyenwere, began to wear leg sleeves as they recovered from injuries.[2][3] Others simply found it fashionable. In the 2024 season, twenty-four players on eleven teams wore a leg sleeve.[2][6] Angel Reese, a player known for her fashion, began wearing a left leg sleeve to cover up a scar from an injury in her first year of college basketball. She also considered it an homage to Wilson and Cooper.[2][7][8]
The leg sleeve spread beyond women's basketball. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, players on the United States' women's soccer and men's basketball teams wore the accessory.[2] Soccer player Lynn Williams began wearing the leg sleeve leading up to these Olympics and became known for the style.[3] That year, many NBA and Men's March Madness players wore leg sleeves,[1] and Nike launched a product line in collaboration with Wilson that included one-legged leggings.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vinton, Jeff (April 6, 2024). "Final Four | Why do basketball players wear leg sleeves or tights? We found out.". 12News. https://www.12news.com/article/sports/ncaa/ncaab/march-madness/why-do-basketball-players-were-leg-sleeves-tights/75-a7d959a3-88a8-4ffa-b105-d18deb5a39e7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Prewitt, Alex (September 18, 2024). "How single leg sleeves became an on-court fashion staple in the WNBA". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/09/18/wnba-leg-sleeves/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Suggs, David (August 3, 2024). "Why does Lynn Williams wear one leg sleeve? How USWNT striker making waves with unique style at Olympics". The Sporting News. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/lynn-williams-leg-sleeve-uswnt-olympics/cc59eb1c0d8bed4081f0625a.
- ↑ Miller, Stuart (May 9, 2013). "The Sleeve Settles In". The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-sleeve-settles-in/.
- ↑ Chen, Kirsten (November 11, 2022). "More Than Swag: Analyzing the 'One Leg Sleeve' Effect". https://www.wnba.com/news/more-than-swag-analyzing-the-one-leg-sleeve-effect.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Sanchez, Josh (September 19, 2024). "A'ja Wilson's one leg sleeve fashion trend to inspire Nike collection". Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/onsi/athlete-lifestyle/fashion/aja-wilson-one-leg-sleeve-fashion-trend-nike-collection. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ↑ Suggs, David (May 15, 2024). "Why does Angel Reese wear one leg sleeve? Sky rookie's fashion choice takes inspiration from A'ja Wilson". The Sporting News. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/wnba/news/angel-reese-leg-sleeve-chicago-sky-lsu-aja-wilson/15cd986decc900db50684460.
- ↑ Williams, Madison (April 3, 2023). "LSU's Angel Reese Explains Why She Wears One Legging". Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/wnba/angel-reese-returning-to-lsu-sky-preseason-game-brazilian-national-team. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
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