Gotta ease in to the whole cheering for Russ thing, but comparing him to Murph's style is a fast way to get an L...for anyone
A lot of Houston connections in there. Spoiler Serena Williams Odell Beckham Jr. Russell Westbrook James Harden Dwyane Wade Maria Sharapova Lewis Hamilton Cristiano Ronaldo LeBron James Tom Brady P.K. Subban Von Miller Kelly Oubre Jr. Travis Kelce Cam Newton Antonio Brown DeAndre Jordan Nick Young Jamal Adams Iman Shumpert Bryce Harper DeAndre Hopkins Ashlyn Harris Neymar Jr. Serge Ibaka P.J. Tucker Lindsey Vonn Hector Bellerin Chris Paul Ben Simmons Kyrie Irving Dennis Schroder Jimmy Butler Venus Williams Mike Conley Michelle Wie Roger Federer Kevin Love Henrik Lundqvist Malcolm Jenkins Tyrod Taylor Russell Wilson Evander Kane Jarvis Landry Dina Asher-Smith Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Rudy Gay Auston Matthews Megan Rapinoe Kalani Brown Russell Westbrook It’s hard to predict what the NBA’s style trailblazer and self-proclaimed Fashion King will wear next, but that surprise factor and fearlessness are exactly what make Russell Westbrook a style icon. From arena tunnels before games to the streets of Paris during Fashion Week, the 30-year-old doesn’t waver from his “Why not?” approach to dressing, sporting everything from designer threads and the latest kicks, to vintage clothing, trendy Zara pieces and unconventional suits. James Harden While James Harden’s style of play on the court might stir up some controversy, there’s no debate over his dominance in the fashion game. For the 2018–19 season, the Rockets guard carefully planned his daring and dashing ensembles, pairing his signature beard with everything from bright floral prints to neon suits and more. Iman Shumpert Along with his wife Teyana Taylor, Iman Shumpert completes the fashion power couple duo with his on-trend and risk-taking style choices. Shumpert also has his own menswear line called Centerpiece, which features track pants, hoodies, graphic tees and more. DeAndre Hopkins DeAndre Hopkins may look to Pharrell for some fashion inspiration, but the Texans wide receiver has a unique, enviable style all to his own. Hopkins mixes luxurious and intricate designer pieces with more casual options from retailers like ASOS with ease. P.J. Tucker When Rockets forward P.J. Tucker enters an NBA arena, you’ll likely see him sporting a fresh pair of kicks (and holding a pair, too) and a killer outfit featuring bright colors and bold patterns. STYLE MOTTO: “It’s hard to say what makes up PJ’s style. I think its just originality more than anything—putting things together that someone else wouldn’t do. I like to experiment. Like I had this pair of shoes and I wanted to find a suit that I could wear with them—that was my mission, to find something that wasn’t a regular suit but that could make the shoe pop a little bit. I like to have fun with different clothes that might not go together.” WHY IS FASHION IMPORTANT TO YOU: “It’s just fun. It’s something outside of basketball where I can show my artistic side and things that I like doing. With shoes and clothes, I’ve always wanted to personalize it and make it my own.” ON THE ROCKETS’ TEAM FASHION: “On our team—me, Chris [Paul] and James [Harden]—we’re all just totally different. In the stuff we wear and the way we wear it. It’s so funny because a lot of time me and James [Harden] wear the same pieces, but we wear it totally different. Then some of the other guys crack jokes.” Chris Paul Rockets Thunder point guard Chris Paul always puts a personal touch on his highly-coveted and comfortable dressed-up looks, mixing formal suits with sneakers and adding in a special message or theme to every fit. STYLE INSPIRATION: “I'm a big believer in: you have to wear what you want to wear and not what you're supposed to wear. I think a lot of guys get caught up in trying to wear what they think people want them to wear, instead of what you’re comfortable in or expressing your own style. One of the biggest things I wanted to do this year with my clothes was champion people and designers of color and represent HBCUs. So that’s what we did.” WHY FASHION IS IMPORTANT: “It's about supporting us—and when I say that, I’m not just talking about people of color. Russell Westbrook is one of the guys that I compete unbelievably hard against, we go so hard against each other, but people wouldn't know that me and Russ got a close relationship. Russ has a clothing line, Honor the Gift. I wore some of his stuff during the season. Melo has a collaboration with Goorin Bros, so I wore his hat. Another game, I wore LeBron’s shoes. I think in what we've done for so long, especially as athletes, we were pit against each other all the time, like competition. It's so important for us to support each other.” FAVORITE FIT: “It sounds so generic, but I love warm-up suits. I love suits that are like leisure. But I also love a dressed up suit—I’ll wear a double-breasted suit but I’m probably going to wear it with sneakers. And it’s funny, this year I started wearing slouch socks. When I played high school basketball like back then that was like a thing—you was a real hooper if you had slouch socks, you know what I mean? So we started wearing them again, just because we wanted to.”
ESPN: What do you think of the current flavor of today's NBA players? Murphy: In the league, [James] Harden wears different [clothes], [Kevin] Durant wears skinny jeans. I don't like any of that, that's the hip hop generation. They talk about me and they got clothes so tight they been sprayed on. That's not my flavor. ESPN: You don't like Russell Westbrook's fashion? Murphy: Once again, that's hip hop generation. I wouldn't wear it. I would look ridiculous. It's bad enough the criticism I get for wearing suits that are different print and different color. My flavor is different, my body isn't made to wear those pants that are so tight -- I'd look like a 68-year-old fool. It looks good on Westbrook and James Harden, and then [Chandler] Parsons started to wear jeans rolled up.
I know Murph is a legend, but I'm a little surprised Westbrook doesn't get more love. He gets a lot of props from GQ and other fashion outlets and he doesn't use a stylist (I don't know if this is positive or negative). I think Calvin Murphy has the advantage because we only see him in formal wear. While it has shock value, Russell's casual wear is very weird and eccentric and can't compete with Calvin's Pimp vibes. But if we limit it to suits vs suits, surprisingly I like Westbrook better.
