January was one hell of a month. And we’re not talking about that whole, you know, storming of the Capitol thing. No, we’re talking about something much smaller and yet something that feels, in a way, just as significant: the NBA game arrivals. 

Somehow, basketball’s biggest names knew that our eyes were starving for something, anything, to inspire us and help us shake off the existential dread (and boredom) of quarantine life. In the absence of true street style, these guys stepped in to fill the sartorial void. And, we’re happy to report, they didn’t disappoint. With their Roman-statue physiques and bottomless bank accounts, they’re primed to give us the exact fashion show we’ve been missing these days.

So here we have it – kilts, tie-dye, bold colours, political T-shirts, wacky masks and covetable sneakers. All these things and more were just some of the ways these dapper players put their highly-publicised pre-game walks into the locker room to good use. It’s no secret we all could use a little distraction right now and, even more so, a reminder that vaccines are on the way and some time in the near future you, too, may be able to put on your favourite outfit and walk out the door into the crowded streets and bump into a friend.

In the meantime, here are some of our picks for the best-dressed men of the month. 

As if the Sacai bomber and the black and yellow Nike Dunks weren’t enough, Utah Jazz guard Mr Jordan Clarkson finished this legendary look off with a – wait for it – tartan kilt from LA-based brand Fear of God. After the game, when a reporter asked him what was going on with the kilt, he replied: “It’s swag, baby.” Who are we to disagree?

Last autumn, we extolled to you the virtues of a new movement (well, actually, an old one) called “Neo-Prep”. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of it than this outfit worn by Mr Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards. Notice the collegiate, athletic classics: the football-jersey sweatshirt (from his own brand Honor the Gift), the track pants, worn with classic Converse Chucks (these from a collaboration with Denim Tears), all fresh updates on a vintage look. The cut of the pants – high-waisted and cropped – and that tucked-in sweatshirt bring everything together in an unexpected, slightly eccentric way. It’s just the sort of swerve we’ve come to expect from this style MVP. 

From the tye-die sweatshirt to the Louis Vuitton wash bag, Philadelphia 76ers player Mr Ben Simmons blessed our eyes with strange beauty this month. The pandemic led to a big surge in all things DIY last year and tie dye has been the fashion statement of the moment, seen on everyone from TikTok teens to Mr Hedi Slimane’s brooding models. Mr Simmons let his inner hippy out with this psychedelic hoodie as the star of the show, pairing it with slouchy Fear of God trousers and layered under a Carhartt gilet for some workwear cred. The details – the hand-held pouch, the coordinating Nikes and the dazzle of his watch – only tie everything together perfectly. Chef’s kiss.

It’s safe to say that we are well beyond the “Can men wear pink?” discourse. It’s subversive, it’s playful, it’s not inherently feminine and even if it were, it wouldn’t matter because gender is a social construct (but that’s besides the point). Still, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mr D’Angelo Russell made the case once again with this oversized pale-pink zip-up fleecey jacket. He even took it a step further and coordinated it with the shoelaces of his SAINT LAURENT sneakers. Mix in the cropped Dickies trousers and the bold, graphic scarf-as-face-mask move and you’ve got an outfit worthy of a man who GQ crowned “the NBA’s most stylish player.” 

Where do you even start here? The bold pops of yellow? The excellent quilted take on the half-zip puffer from those waggish British skaters at Palace? The bandana-print mask and the tie-dye socks? This is an awfully friendly and downright fun outfit for a guy who goes by the nickname Scary Terry. It’s a reminder (not that you need one) that we live in a cruel place filled with misery and suffering. Dress to make yourself – and maybe even those around you – happy. 

We’re all for clothes with personality and letting your freak flag fly, but some occasions call for sleek, elegant classics. Take Brooklyn Nets point-guard Mr Kyrie Irving, who gave us a masterclass in “less is more”. Look at those beautifully tailored trousers, the understated elegance of the rollneck sweater and the low-key sophistication of that camel coat, all topped off with an under-the-radar black cap and paisley-print shoes that add just a touch of whimsy. This masterclass teaches us the lesson that in a world that asks you to scream to be heard, sometimes all you need to do is whisper to make everyone lean in and listen. 

“If I like it, that’s all that matters,” the Brooklyn Nets forward once told Bleacher Report when asked about his approach to style. That sort of self confidence is apparent on the court and in the tunnel, ahead of the game. (It also once landed him a gig as a style correspondent for GQ, critiquing his teammates.) Mr Kevin Durant, now an NBA elder statesman, has been around long enough that we’ve seen his style mature. This latest phase is the sort of lived-in, relaxed look of a man who’s older, wiser and confident as hell. The quilted checked overshirt, the printed T-shirt (a sly shout-out to Mr Barack Obama), the slim, cropped cargos, the suede sneakers with pink laces and that red hat (which earned him the moniker “Beanie God”) are undeniably cool and unforced. Let younger players dress to impress, when you’ve done this for as long as Mr Durant has, you’ve earned the right to dress down.

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