Russell Westbrook, one of the NBA's biggest style icons and a catalyst for transforming the pregame tunnel into a fixture of the modern NBA, has retired.
Why not? That's the mantra that Russell Westbrook lived by in all aspects of his NBA career. When you saw him lift off for what seems like an improbable dunk or drive to the paint through a sea of defenders, why not? When he walked the pregame tunnel in a cream poncho with brown stripes and a pork pie hat that looks like he stole it from Walter White's closet, why not?
"It's how I live my life. It's how I operate. Whenever there's any type of indecision, I have an easy answer, and it's just strictly, 'Why not?'" Westbrook told Complex in a 2023 interview. "If I'm getting dressed, or designing, or trying to create pieces, and I don't love it right away, I'll just be like, ' f**k it. Why not? Let's just do it.'"
COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.
When Westbrook's career started back in 2008, the late David Stern's strict NBA dress code was still in place. Players were required to wear suits to games, a decree largely believed to be brought about to curb another fashion icon, Allen Iverson, from wearing 4XL throwback jerseys and baggy sweatsuits. For the first four years, Westbrook stuck to the dress code. His biggest "risk" was a cardigan with gray stripes. But by 2012, he was finding his lane. He wasn't quiet in his "distressed band T-shirt and construction vests" era yet, but he was experimenting more. During the 2012 NBA Finals between the OKC Thunder and Miami Heat, he rocked a white Lacoste polo covered in colorful fishing lures and lensless red glasses. A year later, at All-Star Weekend, he spruced up a brown blazer and a gray/black striped tie with duck camo pants and a yellow belt to go with his "Tokyo" Air Jordan 5s. It barely matched, but it followed the dress code guidelines and stood out, especially since the rest of the league was still rocking more GQ-friendly fits of tailored suits and slim-fitting sweaters over ******* on-ups.
#like #dress #biggest #tunnel
Why not? That's the mantra that Russell Westbrook lived by in all aspects of his NBA career. When you saw him lift off for what seems like an improbable dunk or drive to the paint through a sea of defenders, why not? When he walked the pregame tunnel in a cream poncho with brown stripes and a pork pie hat that looks like he stole it from Walter White's closet, why not?
"It's how I live my life. It's how I operate. Whenever there's any type of indecision, I have an easy answer, and it's just strictly, 'Why not?'" Westbrook told Complex in a 2023 interview. "If I'm getting dressed, or designing, or trying to create pieces, and I don't love it right away, I'll just be like, ' f**k it. Why not? Let's just do it.'"
COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.
When Westbrook's career started back in 2008, the late David Stern's strict NBA dress code was still in place. Players were required to wear suits to games, a decree largely believed to be brought about to curb another fashion icon, Allen Iverson, from wearing 4XL throwback jerseys and baggy sweatsuits. For the first four years, Westbrook stuck to the dress code. His biggest "risk" was a cardigan with gray stripes. But by 2012, he was finding his lane. He wasn't quiet in his "distressed band T-shirt and construction vests" era yet, but he was experimenting more. During the 2012 NBA Finals between the OKC Thunder and Miami Heat, he rocked a white Lacoste polo covered in colorful fishing lures and lensless red glasses. A year later, at All-Star Weekend, he spruced up a brown blazer and a gray/black striped tie with duck camo pants and a yellow belt to go with his "Tokyo" Air Jordan 5s. It barely matched, but it followed the dress code guidelines and stood out, especially since the rest of the league was still rocking more GQ-friendly fits of tailored suits and slim-fitting sweaters over ******* on-ups.
#like #dress #biggest #tunnel
2 months ago
