If you’re a fan of the NBA, you know that these days, the show often starts before the tipoff. Some of the most popular players in the league aren’t just amazing athletes, they’re also icons of style. And watching them make the “tunnel walk” between the locker room and the arena is as exciting as any Hollywood red carpet.
In his new book, “Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion,” Pulitzer prize-winning writer Mitchell S. Jackson compiles a beautifully comprehensive history of style in the NBA. But what could have just been a stunning coffee table book full of pictures of tall, handsome Black men in great clothes is so much more. It’s also a history lesson and a cultural commentary examining the impact of politics and culture on players’ fashion choices over time.
I caught up with Mitchell S. Jackson about his stunning homage to NBA style.
It took two years to complete the research and collect the photos that ultimately found a place in the book. But Jackson, a former basketball player and self-described fashion lover, called the project a labor of love.
“With every era I would ask myself, who were the players, what were they wearing and what were the cultural forces that really brought that style into being.” he said.
The Conformists, 1946 - 1963
Jackson begins his story with the birth of the NBA in 1946. During this time, he says, although Black players were stars of their sport, they didn’t have the same rights as their white counterparts in the real world. And as a result, they believed blending in was their only option. Here, you see conventional style dominate, with dark suits, white shirts and ties as the norm.
“I thought about the fact that this was pre-Civil Rights and right after World War II. And there were still these mandates on what you could wear,” he said.
Flamboyance, 1964 - 1980
But with the start of the Civil Rights Movement, players found more freedom to express themselves. And during the period between the mid-1960s and late 1970s, we saw them lean into their individual identity and culture through fashion like never before. Players of this era rejected the idea of a one-size-fits-all all sense of style. They wanted to do something different—something Mitchell says is as much a political statement as a statement of style.
“That liberation shows up in Clyde Frazier and Wilt Chamberlain. You see Wilt, and he’s got his shirt unbuttoned to his sternum. That’s freedom,” Jackson laughed.
Jordan, 1981 - 1998
Because you can’t write a book about NBA fashion without talking about Dennis Rodman, Jackson highlights the standout forward’s eclectic style during a period he simply called “Jordan.” Jackson notes that while players like Michael Jordan made oversized suits chic, Rodman was in a class by himself. And as he found his place in the league, he became more comfortable with pushing all sorts of boundaries with his style. The image of that iconic wedding dress moment when he claimed to marry himself is still burned in my brain.
“I think it’s interesting to look at how Rodman came into the league. He was a player from a small college, who was by his own account a shy person who didn’t really have a personality,” Jackson said. “And then as he developed his rebounding and flair, it translated into his fashion. It was almost like Rodman was finding himself. And the more he refined that identity, the more flamboyant that fashion got.”
The Iverson Effect, 1999 - 2009
The late ‘90s and early 2000s saw a shift from suits to Starter jackets as hip-hop culture influenced the players’ style in an era Jackson calls “The Iverson Effect.” But as the NBA saw too many players dressing down, they decided it was time to enforce a dress code and forced players to swap their t-shirts, shorts and chains for business casual attire.
“I think the NBA looked at its product and said, ‘The people buying tickets don’t like this. So, what can we do to make sure we reach the widest audience?’” Jackson said. “What they didn’t like was hip hop. But I don’t think hip-hop was the influence on those players. Those players were hip-hop.”
Dress Code, 2010 - 2015
While some saw the NBA’s dress code as invasive and racist, some players decided to see that dress code as an opportunity to raise the bar on their style.
It’s during the era Jackson calls “Dress Code,” that you see players hiring stylists to help them level up their looks and even making appearances at the ultimate style championship event – the Met Gala.
“You have to give credit to LeBron, D Wade and Chris Bosh for embracing their status as fashionable men. And I think that’s what was responsible for what we ultimately call now the tunnel. They made it,” Jackson said.
Insta Tunnel Walk, 2016 - Beyond
The proliferation of social media gave players even more opportunities to showcase their style. And beginning in 2016, fans looked to the “tunnel walk” to see their favorite players’ off-court looks. In 2020, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, called “the most stylish duo in sports,” appeared on the cover of GQ. And today, the Instagram account @leaguefits, which features photos of some of the freshest players in the game, has nearly 1 million followers, a testament to the influence players have on the fashion industry. “You have to think about what it must feel like for the NBA players to have created something that didn’t exist before,” Jackson said.
Although he acknowledges an abundance of stylish players in the NBA over time, Jackson says Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain are some of his favorites in the game. “Wilt was seven feet, and Shaq is 7'2,” he said. “Shaq’s not fly. I haven’t seen a picture of Shaq and said ‘He really put that on.’ But Wilt, he did that.”