A’ja Wilson’s custom gilded atelier Prabal Gurung gown for the 2026 Met Gala carpet emulated the WNBA superstar’s strength and determination.A’ja Wilson’s custom gilded atelier Prabal Gurung gown for the 2026 Met Gala carpet emulated the WNBA superstar’s strength and determination.
On the evening of the first Monday in May, WNBA super star A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces traded in the tunnel walk for the 2026 Met Gala carpet celebrating “Fashion Is Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“This is my first Met; the second one I’ve been invited to, so I’m blessed for the opportunity. We had a pre-season game last night; just stopped by New York on the first Monday of May, and will be right back out there tomorrow because our season starts. We get our [championship] rings this weekend. It’s an exciting week,” Wilson told WWD while getting ready at The Plaza hotel for her first Met Gala, as both attendee and host committee member.
“I released a shoe a couple days ago,” she added of her new Nike A’Two pink sneaker. “It’s super cool just having the A’Two forming its own brand — it’s so unapologetically me. This time, we’re calling it the ‘A’ja Wilson Show,’ which is kind of like every time you watch me play, I hope that it’s a good show.”
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Wilson said although she missed out on last year’s gala due to scheduling, she was looking forward to the evening’s festivities, including after parties and seeing Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s return to the event after 10 years.
She added that while game day rituals are comprised of a bit more sleep than she was granted before Monday night, hydration and being ready for the moment ahead of her Met carpet debut paralleled routines before nights on the court.
“I think fashion and how it’s been a crossover now into sport is a beautiful way to showcase the versatility as women, whether that’s through our clothes, hair, anything. I’m excited to be here, to see everyone but also put on my own [glam],” she said, noting that her vision in working with her stylist, Casey iCon Billingsley, and New York-based designer Prabal Gurung on her custom look for the evening was rooted in storytelling.
Gurung told WWD his Atelier Prabal Gurung design for Wilson, an oxidized gold textured matelasse strapless column gown with elongated cape sleeves, was all about celebrating Wilson being in her element.
“We’ve seen her on the court, and I had to do justice to what she’s done. She’s the gold standard,” he said.
Indeed, Wilson, who has won three WNBA championships with the Aces, is the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, finals MVP, league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season in 2025. Thus far Wilson — regarded as one of the best female basketball players of her generation, and one of the greatest WNBA players ever — has taken home four MVP awards, two WNBA Finals MVP awards, three WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards; holds records for the highest single-season scoring average, and has multiple Olympic gold metals.
Furthermore, the most-decorated player in WNBA history recently signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $5 million supermax contract with the Aces, making her the highest-paid player in WNBA history.
“We’re definitely showing a little ‘Midas Touch,’” Wilson said of her glamorous, gilded look, which extended beyond her gown and matching shoes and into her gold-dipped hands, layered gold necklaces, sparkling eye makeup and shimmering earrings.
“It’s kind of a parallel to my life as well — everything I touch is golden. I want it to be, I want to win. But also the look is a texturized, oxidized gold,” she said of the idea of the patina effect emulating becoming stronger and better with time. “It’s something that is so key to my life, but also shows the texture and fluidity of the dress and caped sleeves.”
Gurung has always been a strong proponent for celebrating women — “those of all shapes and sizes, and in their strengths and weaknesses,” he said, adding that he wanted to work with Wilson this year because of how she represents the modern American woman. The idea expanded into his extended 2026 Met Gala ensemble, which also included Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett, Rachel Zegler, Amanda Fuhrman, Coco Jones, Gauravi Kumari, Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Lauren Wasser.
With Wilson, Gurung said he was inspired by her “single-minded, determined and focused” energy and ability to “ace it on the court,” as well as on the Met Gala carpet, clad in a design that represented all of her golden glory and strength.
