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Yolanda Griffith

The Monarchs were styling in their new gear last night for a mob of Monarchs fans as they unveiled their new 2007 WNBA uniforms by adidas. Complete with a red carpet runway set up in front of the Monarchs Team Store at ARCO Arena, Kristin Haynie, Kara Lawson and Yolanda Griffith strutted out one-by-one to the cheers of adoring fans and the pop of photographers’ flash bulbs.

“It was a little nerve wracking in front of all the cameras,” said Lawson. Basketball is a team sport, where you’re never singled out, so I was a little nervous walking up there with all the flashbulbs popping.” Of all the players, one would think the Monarchs shooting guard would be the last to clam up in front of cameras, after spending her entire off season as TV analyst for ESPN. “I never get used to it,” she said. “I always get nervous just before the red light goes on.”

The new uniforms are made of ClimaLite®, which works to regulate the athlete’s body temperature by conducting heat and sweat away from the body. The jerseys feature a more refined silhouette with a racerback for a more comfortable fit and the jerseys will now be tucked into the shorts in contrast to the Monarchs most recent uniform, which was worn untucked.

“My favorite aspect of the new uniform is the fact that we tuck them in,” Lawson said. “I’m a huge proponent of tucking in shirts, even practice jerseys. It was the one thing I didn’t like about the old uniforms. We weren’t allowed to tuck those in. So change is good.”

Assistant Coach Monique Ambers, Kara Lawson, Yolanda Griffith, Kristin Haynie and Head Coach Jenny Boucek

This is the first season with adidas as the official outfitter for the WNBA and a partner of the Sacramento Monarchs. The new adidas uniform features a dramatic pattern design on the sides of the jersey and shorts, inspired by the shape of the letters “M” and “S” in the Monarchs logo.

“It’s a good change because it’s built for women,” said Griffith. “All the other uniforms we’ve played in were so thick and big. As soon as I finished playing I just wanted to go take a cold shower because they were so hot. Now they’re really thin and fitted for us. So all we have to do is go out and play basketball, and represent the sport in a fashionable way.”

After the players were done showing off their new unis, they hung out with the fans to mingle and sign autographs.

The new replica jerseys are now available in the Sacramento Monarchs Team Store.

New Uniform Fashion Show - Photo Gallery

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