The NBA Is Back, Baby!

The NBA tunnel is a sartorial trailblazer.

The basketball is back, baby! After a four-month hiatus, NBA players have finally arrived in the Orlando bubble, ready to resume the 2019-20 season.

While we’re all looking forward to seeing who’ll claim the chip, there’s only really one thing on our mind: fit pics. From PJ Tucker’s raging sneaker rotation to Russell Westbrook’s sartorial superstardom, the NBA tunnel has long been at the forefront of men’s fashion.

Join us as we take a look back at the veteran trailblazers of the NBA tunnel and the precocious young bloods turning up the volume in Disney World.

Dunk. Dunk. Drip.
Deep in the entrails of basketball stadiums across America, haphazard runways are documenting players’ style on their way to the courts. Located somewhere between the carpark and the basketball court, these tunnels often look a little shabby, with concrete walls, Lino floors and dustbins lining the halls.

No, it’s not quite Milan, but these NBA tunnels are providing us with some of the most inspiring looks.

The 30-second walk continues to power Instagram and social media accounts (@leaguefits, an account operated by previous SLAM editors, currently has 557k followers), the pregame runway often serving as prescient style guides.

Take the Houston Rockets, for example. With Russell Westbrook’s visceral sartorial assaults, PJ Tucker’s mind-boggling sneaker rotation (Tucker recently admitted to spending nearly 200K on sneakers this past season), and James Harden’s, well, whole wardrobe, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more fashionable trio in the NBA.

For his part, PJ Tucker is being frequently tapped to debut sneaker collaborations and archival pieces. The NBA’s resident journeyman, Tucker spent more than a decade lacing up his impressive collection of sneakers in a variety of locations, including the Israeli Premier League, Ukrainian Basketball Super League, and the Sutor Basket Montegranaro in Italy.

In 2018, PJ Tucker debuted Jerry Lorenzo’s Air Fear of God 1, and the Barkley’s arena in Brooklyn took a collective gasp.

Likewise, The triple-double dynamo Russell Westbrook is known for his regular tunnel appearances wearing neon Vetements fits, tonal Rick Owens, and throwback Canadian tuxedos. In 2019, Westbrook caught the eye of legendary German photographer Juergen Teller, who shot him for the Acne studios lookbook.

Bubble Boys
It’s not just the old guard turning heads in the tunnel.

Younger, lesser-known players are garnering huge cult followings for their unique sartorial flair. Players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder are routinely pairing hype footwear like pink camo Bapestas and Off-White x Nike collaborations with high-end threads.

While they’re obviously preaching to the luxe choir, both players also feature heavily alongside the #cozyboy hashtag, a more minimalist movement emphasising comfort and steez (that is, style with ease). Robes, hoodies and sweatpants all feature prominently, and #cozyboy is only gaining more momentum as teams prepare to face-off in the NBA’s Orlando bubble (the NBA recently modified their dress code, not requiring players wear sports coats on the bench).

Shai has been sitting courtside in the ultra-tidy Converse Pro Leather Lows. Utah Jazz forward Jordan Clarkson is paying homage to A$AP Rocky’s ‘Babushka Boi’ with leopard-print head scarfs, and 3-point metronome Klay Thompson is recovering from an ACL injury in laidback LV vests.

While the NBA bubble is providing plenty of room for sartorial prowess, it’s also become an opportunity to articulate important social justice issues. Players will have the opportunity to customise the names on their NBA jerseys, while Russell Westbrook has partnered with the NBPA to create player-exclusive social justice tees.

Yes, with the shot clock winding down to the NBA restart, the nexus between fashion and culture has never been more pronounced.

Shop all the latest looks from the bubble right now at THE ICONIC.

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