Fashion has always been subject to trends and rapid changes, and can often be really unpredictable. This mixture of individual expression and trends in pop culture has curated close ties between the NBA and fashion.
The purpose of this blog post is to examine how fashion trends have changed through out the years in the NBA, so without further ado, let’s travel back to the 1970s in where players began to make a statement with their choice of clothing.
1970
While the main focus point of this blog post is the players, we can’t leave our respected coaches out of the equation. Around this time, many coaches started to bring out colorful suits from their closets and leaned away from the generic black and grey suits they were accustomed to in the past. While I mentioned that 1970s signified an evolution in fashion in the NBA, that was a little bit of an exaggeration as it was mostly coaches that took the leap. However stay tuned as we’ll get to your favorite players era in a bit.
2000s
Upon further research, it came to my disappointment that fashion between the 70s and 2000s, didn’t seem that entertaining (other than Dennis Rodman and his occasional surprises). So I made the executive decision to fast forward a few years, in where we are given a plethora of new fashion trends, statements, and styles. One notable figure of influence has been Allen Iverson, who has had a major impact on NBA fashion, especially during his prime in the late 90s and early 2000s. Iverson was notable one of the first to introduce streetware to NBA culture, contradictory to the formal suit and tie fashion that previously dominated the league. Additionally, his choice of accessories on the court, including headbands, armbands, arm sleeves, and whatnot has left a lasting imprint on what players would suit up in for years to come.
2010s
The sophomore decade of the 21st century saw the rise of sneaker head culture…as well as the horridly of skinny jeans. Players like Lebron James and Dwyane Wade dominated the league, both on the court and in fashion. Overall, the 2010s, really brought strong ties between the NBA and fashion. These ties were seen in the leagues more prominent players partnering with high-end fashion brands, such as Off-White, Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton.
2020s
NBA fashion in the 20s probably requires a 500 page book to cover all that has unfolded in the first half of the decade. With players staying a whole season on a resort, boredom likely ensued a large majority of the league. I believe that this boredom led to an explosion on self-expression, with players having no remorse for what they decide to hold in their closet. A few years back in 2021, we saw the horrific sight of Kuzma dressed in a pink sweater that was a little too oversized. The media took this in a humorous manner, but to me it serves as an example of what more is to come from these players in the future.
4 responses to “The evolution of fashion in the NBA”
I really like your description of fashion and its ways of changing. Its crazy to look back and look at where we are now, its very different !
I really enjoyed reading your post. I had considered celebrity singers and actors as trend setters but I don’t know that I had thought about where athletes meet fashion trends before. After reading your post, it makes a lot of sense to include athletes within pop culture trend setters, especially NBA players. Also, I kinda like the pink sweater honestly.
Great post idea! (Small quibble: I want an image credit for that first graphic. Also, anybody who comes to class imitating one of these looks gets extra credit…)
This was a very intriguing post, I really love that you chose to look at fashion in the NBA specifically. I never really think much over specific fashions but you definitely have me thinking over it now.