How The NBA Has Become A Real Runway Show

A brief history of how that came to be…

The purpose of fashion shows with their catwalks is of course to unveil to the public a designer’s (or a house’s) new line of creations. It is as easy as it gets. Fashion nevertheless, grew out of that space, especially with social media and the speed of information sharing. We can say easily that today, everyone has their own catwalk, just sharing a glimpse of their outfits on Insta, tagging a brand or being promoted by them. We are free to show how we dress and how we style certain pieces. Of course that is something used by fashion enthusiasts. Mainly celebrities will be the targets of that, being spied on with their “supermarket outfit” or new red carpet dress, they are well aware of that and some take it to their advantage. 

Photo via GQ by Bill Baptist

Talking about athletes now is maybe not relatable to fashion or even a catwalk. When we think of an athlete, we think of their performances, for which nation or club they play for. Not of fashion, despite that some athletes decided to make their arena entrances or shoes their place to shine and express themselves! Athletes took that into consideration and started to show their fashion to show their personalities and share messages to their fans.

However the fashion in the NBA was pushed back multiple times by its commissioner (David Stern 4th) and still is (Adam Silver 5th), both on and off the court. With Michael Jordan not being able to wear shoes not following the rules, with his iconic red and black Air Jordan Ones, since colorful shoes were banned causing distraction, as all shoes had to be white. By just stepping on the hard floor the Airness (Michael Jordan) would be fined 5,000$ each game, but that did not stop him or Nike. Nowadays the Air Jordan brand is the most famous basketball shoe there is, and the professional basketball court today is full of color.

The NBA for some years especially in the 80’s and 90’s tried to keep a good image of their players. NBA stars became role models to the young fans, with the sport growing, the management asked of them to commit to reasonable and respectful fashion choices to be a good influence. With players not respecting that, the NBA did not know where to draw the line between non-respectful and fashionable and how to make them obey.

Michael Jordan in 1986 Photo via British Vogue by Scott Cunningham

A big turnaround of these strict NBA rules for the players is thanks to Allen Iverson. He is a big part of the uprising of fashion in the NBA. The player from Virginia who is now 48 years old, played mainly for Philadelphia and Denver and built himself an amazing career. During all his years as a professional player he had many iconic fits, on his way to the arena as well as on the court. He was a strong believer in fashion and expressing opinions through it. With young fans from all over the country trying to copy his styles and being inspired by Allen’s creations, it truly showed another side to the fashion the NBA was trying to control. As the NBA tried repeatedly to condemn Allen’s fashion choices saying they were too “controversial” and not appropriate to the professional stage. He called on the public to prove the NBA otherwise.

Ever since Allen Iverson changed the mentality of players, showing them that they can truly express themselves and still have a good impact on the fans. The fashion has really grown in the NBA, with players creating their own brands and signing shoe deals and even participating in the designs. 

Allen Iverson Photo via Getty Images

As many players express their fashion in the tunnel entrance of arenas, it has created a real catwalk before every single game. With players truly being able to convey messages to the public and using their platforms to make a change. With daily content for the fashion and basketball enthusiasts, many players stick to the task of showing up with the best of their closet. Daily “drip checks” were created on social media and “shoe spotting” for those kicks lovers. 

Magazines and sporting channels also elect the best styles of the week, month or year throughout the NBA (and other professional sports). It has become a real part of the identity of some players who enjoy showing it to the world and trying new styles with world designers. 

Photo via @kuz

With so many athletes coming back and giving us a special show every single day until next April, who are you most excited to see this runway season ?