The NBA Catwalk
“You never get a second chance to make a great first impression”
The NBA doesn’t take this lightly. Athletes on every team have taken to making statements with their pregame attire. Arena arrivals are the perfect runway for this athletic fashion show.
From purses, to cut off pants, the NBA is known for having loud outfits.
“To me, style is very, very important because it can cross so many different lanes.” NBA style icon, Russell Westbrook, said in an interview with Time. “I do it for a different reason though, I’m looking at it like business. I’m interested in the different designers that are showing, trying to find ways to improve my knowledge in fashion, meet different people and different influencers.”
While athletes shouldn’t get swept up in ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses’, they do understand that getting noticed for having style is not without purpose.
“You gotta dress for the job you want.” said retired NBA player Nazr Mohammed. “I’ve always wanted to be a GM one day so I stopped dressing like a typical basketball player and started dressing a little more professional because that’s the first thing people notice about you”
When the average NBA career is about four and a half years, thinking about the way you present yourself to the people around you is imperative to your success outside of the game. If you’re known for presenting yourself in sweats and hoodies all the time, it’s probable that you might not be someone’s first choice for General Manager or any position within their front office.
Even if you aren’t considering a job in basketball after leaving the game, it is still a good idea to present yourself professionally. You never know who is paying attention to you.
Game Change was founded in 2011 to serve and enhance the athlete development needs of major professional and elite sport organizations and athletes. Game Change specializes in customized research and assessment services, the development of applied interventions and resources designed to provide long-term positive outcomes for organizations and individual athletes. Game Change believes strongly in sport as a catalyst for societal change and adheres to the philosophy of ‘changing the world one athlete at a time’.