As the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder square off in this year’s NBA Finals, the competition isn’t just on the hardwood.
The teams happen to have two of the most fashionable players in the league: the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton.
Their style is distinctly different, with Gilgeous-Alexander leaning toward streetwear, sporting looks from KidSuper, Chrome, Levi’s and Vava.
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Haliburton generally prefers tailored clothing and is partial to The Row, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and other luxury brands. He’s also become known for his designer bags, opting for everything from The Row’s Margaux, Louis Vuitton Speedy duffle to Hermès Birkin.
Both men have amassed some big-time fashion cred. Gilgeous-Alexander is a one-time GQ Most Stylish Man of the Year, serves as the creative director of Converse Basketball, is a global ambassador for Canada Goose, recently starred in a Skims campaign and will have his own signature shoe this fall.
Oh, and he also led the league in scoring and was named most valuable player.
Haliburton is no slouch either — in fashion or basketball. The two-time NBA All-Star is a global ambassador for both Puma and Movado and has appeared in campaigns for Gucci and Prada.
While both players have their fans — both on the court and in the tunnel — Gilgeous-Alexander appears to have the edge.
“When Shai came into the league as a rookie with the L.A. Clippers, everyone took a huge liking to him,” said Ian Pierno of LeagueFits, a platform that focuses on the tunnel looks of NBA players. And from Day One, his fashion looks have been among the most popular on the site. “He’s universally loved, which is a rarity.”
Pierno said Gilgeous-Alexander leans into “super, super elevated” streetwear and is today’s equivalent of Allen Iverson and Dennis Rodman, both fashion trailblazers of the past. “Shai has taken the Iverson swag and elevated it,” he said.
Haliburton, on the other hand, is a prime example of fashion evolution.
Pierno said in his first season with the Sacramento Kings, Haliburton was partial to graphic T-shirts and five-inch mesh shorts. “Kid style,” he described it. “It was like, ‘I go to a state school and have an 8 a.m. class.’ But he’s gone through a major transformation. He’s super into tailoring and bags.”
But unlike Gilgeous-Alexander, the reaction from fans isn’t quite so universal.
“He’s very divisive,” Pierno said. “Half the comments we get say he’s cool, and the other half say he dresses so badly. But he’s adventured into fashion waters that no one has before.”
So while the teams continue to battle on the court, there appears to be a clear winner in the fashion game.
“Shai’s in a class of his own,” Pierno said. “His team is the best dressed in the league, which is interesting since it’s Oklahoma. But Shai has set such a high standard and it becomes a competition thing with his teammates.”
Can Haliburton rebound? “Shai loves to play with proportion and silhouette and I’m interested in what he’ll wear for the finals,” Pierno said. “But it’s a best of seven series and no one has tried to replicate Tyrese yet.”