NBA Players’ Fashion Influence Goes Beyond the Court with Global Reach on Social Media

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a point guard in the NBA’s men’s league, acknowledges during All Star Weekend last month that basketball players’ fashion choices have been influential for decades. He credits those who came before him as paving the way and laying down runways for athletes to benefit from today with greater magnifying glass than ever before due to social media exposure. Gilgeous-Alexander, named GQ’s Best Dressed NBA Player in 2022 and 2023 alongside fellow fashion mavens including Tyler Herro and Donovan Mitchell, describes his style as instinctive, unlimited, and without boundaries while citing Walt Frazier and Wilt Chamberlain as trendsetters from the past. The intersection of high-fashion and elite athletes is explored in a recent photobook by Pulitzer Prize winner Mitchell S. Jackson who highlights that basketball players’ style has become so influential because the NBA, known for its history with dress codes, is America’s most stylish sport with some styles gaining global headlines like Caitlin Clark’s Prada outfit during her WNBA draft ceremony this year or LeBron James in Louis Vuitton campaigns. Basketball players’ style has more eyes on it than any other sport due to the league being America’s best marketed, and social media platforms allowing fans worldwide to follow their favorite athletes’ fashion choices from brands like SKIMS by Kim Kardashian or emerging labels such as Savant Studios and Head of State worn by Stephen Curry.