In its quest to reclaim the misunderstood corners of the paint wheel, Sherwin-Williams has crowned Radiant Lilac SW 0074 as the Loneliest Color of 2025. Which is poetic branding for “no one’s buying this.” But instead of slapping it on an accent wall and hoping for the best, the company leaned all the way in — painting a broader message about visibility, marginalization, and of course, women’s basketball.

Enter Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, rising star for the Dallas Wings, and now, the face of a color that was basically the dusty book in Sherwin-Williams’ library. The metaphor is easy but effective: Radiant Lilac = women’s basketball. Both overlooked. Both bold. Both ready for their prime time.

And yes, this is all very high-concept. But the execution is pure flex. For her first professional tunnel walk, Bueckers pulled up in a custom Dapper Dan fit, dipped in Radiant Lilac like royalty on a monochrome mission. If branding is storytelling, then this is visual poetry with a tailored hemline.

The campaign’s message is less “buy this paint” and more “reconsider what you’re ignoring.” Because Sherwin-Williams isn’t just slinging buckets of pigment — they’re co-opting culture. And women’s basketball, after decades of being the paint chip no one picks, is now the palette.

Bueckers, who’s promoting the campaign to her 2.6 million and rising Instagram followers, brings exactly the kind of energy the brand needs: charismatic, quietly confident, and part of a league finally cashing in on its long-overdue moment. Her following has been rising steadily, but after she was drafted first overall? It jumped like a three-point percentage in overtime.

So what is Radiant Lilac really? A paint color. A metaphor. A marketing reclamation project. And now, thanks to Paige Bueckers and Dapper Dan, the most important shade in sports marketing — or at least the one with the best outfit.