Welcome to Tunnel Wars.

A bi-weekly podcast hosted by Ian Isiah & Lily Marotta about the tops, bottoms, fits, and flops of the WNBA. Get into it… or out of it?

We’ll send full episodes to your inbox every other week.

This week we’re talking shorts. Ian and Lily are team Big Short. Sorry A’ja Wilson, the Big Short is the Fashion Short.

Lily’s Guide To Wearing Shorts

* The lower you wear your shorts, the more of a top you are.

* The bigger the shorts, the closer to God.

Ian is lowballing people on Grailed and Lily is kindoflikeshaking right now at Tiffany Mitchell in Ed Hardy.

We’ll never be the same after witnessing Chelsea Gray in what Lily likes to call a “funky towel with a blazer.” Chelsea just reinvented the Fashion Short and it’s terry cloth.

New business idea: Nike cropping station at Pride. Walk in with a T-shirt, walk out with a cropped shirt. Get on it, Nike, or Ian and Lily are taking it to Shark Tank.

Ian and Lily’s other favorite looks this week include Maddy Westbeld’s Sue Ellen Mischke moment, Kelsey Plum’s power suit, Natasha Cloud’s cropped mechanic shirt, Sabrina Ionescu’s hot leather denim combo, and Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham side-by-side tunnel fits.

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Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. Pride month is over, Ian and Lily are coming out as straight. Their fans are beside themselves.

Anyway, so much has happened both on and off the court, so let’s get into it… or out of it.

This episode we’re joined with two special guests: Aya Brown and Kirsten Chen.

First up is Aya Brown, Brooklyn-based artist, TELFAR TV personality, GUSH host, and WNBA fanatic. We already know you’re going to love Aya because she’s a Stud Budz fan too.

In breaking news, Pazzi is REAL. Paige and Azzi hard launched their relationship with a phone case merch statement. “Please keep being gay, WNBA.” – Aya

But it hasn’t all been rainbows and fireworks in the W. A heated moment between Caitlin, Jacy, Sophie, and Marina left us needing a professional lip reader to give us some answers.

Last week was shorts, this week we’re talking sleeves. From arm sleeves, to tights under shorts, and the single leg look, are these fashion statements or medical needs? Joining us to discuss is Kirsten Chen aka hotgothwriter. She’s styled some of our favorite players: Dijonai Carrington, Shakira Austin, and Isabelle Harrison and is the Fashion Editor for the WNBA making weekly content for her series “The W in Designer”.

Last but definitely not least, this week’s tunnel looks roundup. We’ve got Isabelle Harrison’s Louis Vuitton bustier, Ian’s crush of the year: Sug Sutton in camo, Nyara and Satou Sabally’s double denim look, DIY diva Olivia Nelson Ododa, and many more.

We’re convinced, the better you look in the tunnel, the more you’re gonna lose. Are we wrong?

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Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. Tensions in the podcast studio are high. We are a divided household this week with Lily cosplaying as Clark and Ian as Collier reenacting the All Stars draft pick Tunnel Wars style (featuring each player’s best fit).

Aya Brown is here to give us the lowdown on the All Star draft. If you don’t know too much about the rules, Aya says it’s pretty much just like R&B Divas; fans, players and media vote for their favorite player but mostly the fans.

We have some good news and some bad news…One of our favorite WNBA couples is getting split up. Buuut another fave couple is reuniting. You win some, you lose some. Tune in to find out who.

Now to the tunnel fits. Line Up (by Fits)with Napheesa Collier’s rhinestone basketball purse, Gabby Williams top to bottom, Skyler Diggins’ sci-fi era, Jackie Young’s touch of femme, Rhyne Howard with the right length jorts, and wait a second…is that Sean Kingston on Kelsey Mitchell’s purse? Watch the episode for even more looks.

Yours truly,

Futch Budz

We’re trying out a rebrand…what do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. This week, we got the inside scoop with style reporter Tiana Randall and WNBA stylist Amadi Brooks.

Tiana is a creative producer and editor, currently writing for Forbes Magazine, covering all things fashion and the W. Amadi is best known for styling WNBA legends like A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Sheryl Swoopes, and of course, her girlfriend Sydney Colson of the Indiana Fever.

Together, we unpack the lore behind Commissioner Cathy’s Alice + Olivia New York skyline dress and Sydney Colson’s subtle troll, wearing the exact same look. Who wore it better? (If you said Syd you’re correct, sorry Cath.)

Speaking of commissioners, ever heard of the Commissioner’s Cup Curse? Win the Cup, lose the championship. The Fever took the Cup… so does that mean the Lynx are going all the way? It’s mid season and we’re looking at standings and making predictions.

We’re going into this episode’s tunnel looks with a trained eye thanks to Amadi and Tiana.

We’ve got the LA Spark’s buzzer beater Rickea Jackson channeling Vivica A. Fox, Golden State Valkyries’ Tiffany Hayes in oversized everything, Connecticut Sun’s newest couple Saniya Rivers and Marina Mabrey in matching looks, Seattle Storm’s record setting rookie Dominique Malonga in school girl socks, and much more.

One last thing, Tiana asked us who’s Courtney and who’s Natisha in this relationship but we just want to know which one of us is a Stud and who is a Bud?

xoxo,

Ian & Lily

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. Summer is coming to an end, which means it’s back to school.

First things first, we’re going shopping. Lily’s been busy this week lowballing Ebay sellers and found some gems like a pair of vintage Lisa Leslie L9 sneakers in Aya’s size and a WNBA Barbie outfit for Ian. We’re gatekeeping until we lose our bids.

School is in session, and our resident WNBA stats expert, Professor Aya Brown is calling out the W’s referees for bad calls and no calls. Pop quiz: What are fouls? (And how do you pronounce it?) Raise your hand if you know what a defensive foul is… anyone? Bonus points if you can give us the definition of a flagrant foul.

This week in the tunnel we’re shifting our focus to non-players. We’re talking about courtsiders: the coaches, sports analysts, and fans. We’ve got a trio of ESPN commentators looking like The Powerpuff Girls, Sandy Brondello losing her cool in a powder blue tie, Patti Lupone’s pout, and collegiate coaches that put the best dressed players to shame.

Lastly, congratulations Paige Bueckers for making 44 points in one game and only missing 4 shots. Yes, 4 shots! That’s Paige BUCKETS to you. Major respect.

Stay tuned for our preloved shopping recs and see you next time.

Xoxo,

Ian and Lily

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. Our honorary co-host, Aya Brown is back to lay down some recent WNBA stats. We’ve got Dijonai back with the Lynx. More importantly, she’s reuniting with the Stud Budz. Our hearts just grew three times bigger.

Speaking of Studz, we’ve got a special guest this week to discuss the best of Stud fits. Joining us today is L, the Associate Creative Director of Highsnobiety. Also known for their work at Complex Sneakers, Flight Club, and Sneakers N Stuff.

L is our resident sneaker expert and just educated us on the term, P.E. shoe. Which in case you were wondering is NOT a sneaker you wear to gym class. Obviously, it stands for Player’s Edition shoe. Thank you L.

Even more wise words from L on this episode. We were given the holy words of the Stud Bible. Yes, you read that right. You’ll have to tune in to get the full scoop, but here’s a sneak peak.

The Holy Stud Bible

* Always keep a photo of Gayle King in your wallet.

* The only acceptable open-toed shoe is a slide.

We discussed the trials and tribulations of getting ready as a Stud. The fashion crisis of deciding between THESE huge shorts or THOSE huge shorts. And according to L, if you’ve never had a Bob the Builder phase, are you even gay?

We’ve got some power looks in the tunnel this week: Tina Charles looking like a secure credit card, Emily Engstler demonstrating the perfect white sock + loafer combo, Arike Ogunbowale is not afraid to match her Kobe x F.C. Barcelona jersey and kicks, Brittney Syke’s proving the “tie as a belt” is back, Temi Fagbenle’s Balenciaga cat suit, and Syd Colson’s three piece birthday suit.

Xoxo,

Ian and Lily

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. The season may be over, but we’re still here. Well, at least Lily is still here…but where’s Ian…and Aya? Off being famous. Ian is on tour with Blood Orange and Aya is recovering from the opening of Gush’s art show at Company gallery. But we didn’t leave Lily all by themselves.

The director of the pod, Minnie Bennett came out from behind the camera to discuss the Aces championship sweep. Lily had to get a day pass from Sling TV just to tune in. Now that’s a real fan. Our friend, Quentin Belt, the photographer of New York’s downtown scene joined us to debrief the championship game, from A’ja’s on the court sneaker debut to Becky Hammon’s iconic facial expressions.

Now that the season is over, we have some critiques. The Aces drank Michelob out of champagne-sized bottles? Interesting choice. Commissioner Cathy needs to find out whatever Coach Becky is doing to maintain her blonde. And if the League is reading this, we’d like to toss Minnie’s name in the ring for the next Commissioner. After all that booing on ESPN, you need some fresh blood.

But when it comes to A’ja and Bam, we have no notes. Love and Basketball wins.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Esther Wallace, the designer and founder of Playa Society. You don’t have to be the world’s biggest WNBA fan to have seen Esther’s iconic T-shirts. We talked about the early days of the company, when her warehouse was her mom’s living room and her Kia was stuffed with boxes of sweatshirts. Even with 70 player T-shirts this season, Esther’s DMs are flooded with fans requesting sketches of their favorite players.

If you’re thinking about holiday shopping already, Esther hinted at some new items coming soon. If you’re interested in some exclusive Tunnel Wars merch? Comment below.

Xoxo,

Tunnel Wars

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. This week we held an official Tunnel War with our fave WNBA fan, Aya Brown. We made our very own tunnel fits bracket for round 2 of the playoffs, nearly ending in a tie between two icons. Spoiler alert: One is A’ja Wilson as a Lego. Any player wearing no-show socks got benched (sorry). Tune in to find out who won “Best Dressed”.

This week’s special guest is WNBA legend, reality TV star, gay icon, and total charmer, Ty Young. Ty imparted many words of wisdom, like the importance of routine when it comes to playing your best game. If Ty won a game in a certain sports bra, she’s going to wear the same bra the next game, and the next game, until she loses in it. Superstitious? Maybe. To us that’s the power of a sports bra.

We took a trip down memory lane along Ty’s style evolution, examining masc trends from skinny jeans and fedoras, to slouchy socks and bike shorts. Ty remembers when the status quo in the tunnel was business casual and no one was allowed to wear ripped jeans, let alone a puffer jacket filled with milk (looking at you Skylar Diggins).

Speaking of a new era, we need to talk about Ellie. Liberty may have fallen but as Ty said, “Ellie is that girl” and we think she may have gotten a BBL.

Watch the full episode for more. See you next time.

Xoxo,

Tunnel Wars

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars.

This week we’re joined by goth basketball player Caitlin Cunningham, but you may know them from the internet as Caitlin Dark. If you’ve ever wanted vampire fangs, Caitlin gave us the inside scoop on how it’s done. Plus a deep dive into goth varieties. Spoiler, Ian is going full Victorian era goth.

Stop measuring your height and start measuring your wing span! That’s right, here at Tunnel Wars we brought the world’s longest measuring tape to find out who has the longest arms: Ian, Lily, or Caitlin. Tune in to find out who… the answer might surprise you (hint: it’s not Lily).

Our next guest this week is Heather Bates, celebrity make-up artist to some of our favorite WNBA players and teams. We truly needed a professional like Heather to explain how some players still have a perfect full beat by the end of the game.

You might not recognize Lily after Heather gives them a mini-makeover. Lily couldn’t stop batting their beautiful eyelashes during the tunnel looks.

Speaking of the tunnel, this week we’re looking at MVPs and rookies. We’ve got A’ja Wilson rocking stolen Balenciaga from her boyfriend’s closet, Breanna Stewart’s mod look, Allisha Gray’s unbeatable on court style, Alyssa Thomas’ Lil Jon length shorts, Paige Bueckers doing mid-nineties Delia’s catalog, Sonia Citron in a full matrix ensemble, and more.

‘Til next time.

Xoxo,

Ian and Lily

Welcome back to Tunnel Wars. We have good news and bad news. The bad news is this is the last episode of the season. Time flies when you’re watching WNBA games and critiquing tunnel fits.

But the GOOD news is we have New York Liberty’s one and only, Isabelle Harrison with us.

Before we get to our very special guest, Minnie and Lily had to debrief on some rumors. Apparently the murmurs that Pazzi has broken up have been put to bed, but we need pics to prove it. What we can be pretty sure of is that Saniya and Marina are over. We’re going through the five stages of grief and right now it’s bargaining. We’ll move to Connecticut for you!

So, we heard the MNBA season just started. Yes, that’s what we’re calling it. Sorry boys, we’re too busy getting ready for Unrivaled.

In this week’s tunnel we’re looking at some of the best looks from last year’s Sephora black carpet. We’ve got Tiffany Hayes’ newspaper print pants, Angel Reese debuting her McDonald’s meal, Skylar Diggins as an undercover detective, Rickea Jackson’s sexy red fur look, and more.

Now for our girl, Isabelle.

Did you know Izzy was the team’s honorary DJ?? We got the inside scoop, from being distracted by Ellie during timeouts, to feeling the roaring energy of Barclays, how New York has influenced her style, and what it’s like being in a couple on the same team. Speaking of family, Izzy and Natasha Cloud have three precious dogs together, and they are most definitely their babies! Izzy told us about their favorite late night meal and her cheat code to traveling, which is always packing ranch, BBQ sauce, and Adobo seasoning when she’s going overseas. Genius.

Tune in to the episode to hear the rest of our conversation with pro-baller Isabelle Harrison. We have still yet to come down from the high of meeting one of our idols. What a way to wrap the first season of Tunnel Wars.

Thank you all for joining us this season, we had a blast. This isn’t goodbye, just see you later :)

Xoxo,

Lily, Minnie, Ian, & Aya