by The NBA arguably set the fashion and sports poster standard thanks to its highly watched NBA Tunnel, which has been adopted by other sports leagues in recent years.
The NBA’s version, which gained steam after the 2005 dress code mandate, plays a huge role in the league itself, with broadcasts broadcasting tunnel walks, fashion brands partnering with players and many social media accounts coming up with the unique look of the documenting athletes. .
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“Our players are some of the most respected and celebrated athletes, as well as fashion icons,” said Lisa Picken Koper, NBA head of apparel and sporting goods. “Our fans are interested in everything they do off the court as well as what they wear, so I think it’s really powerful to get a glimpse of a lot of people and take big fashion risks by many people.”
The NBA Tunnel is a way for players to showcase their personal style, with athletes like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Russell Westbrook, Jordan Clarkson, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and many more regularly impressing the audience.
Over the years as the NBA Tunnel has grown in popularity, more and more players have been encouraged to participate to highlight their personal style, allowing almost every player to have a moment every game. in the league.
“It’s gotten to the point where probably 300 of them, out of the 450 players in the NBA, are dressing up every game,” said Ian Pierno, founder of the LeagueFits Instagram account, which extensively covers the NBA Tunnel. “That goes from the star players like your LeBrons, your Chases, and even guys [who] They can be 13th on the bench to have a big impact on the tunnel and [receive] online engagement even if they are not playing.”
Showing off their individual style is an important part of a player’s career, according to Eli Kumekpor, chief executive officer of sports lifestyle brand Mitchell & Ness, who sees the NBA Tunnel as a way for athletes to build their brands.
“The evolution has gone from something casual to a very deliberate attitude in how they present themselves and how they express themselves,” he said. “It’s smart because a lot of players are using that to build their individual brands and express themselves without being the loudest person in the room. He’s just going to work [for the players,] it’s really profitably spun off, not just partnerships, but brands of their own.”
Fashion brands have capitalized on the opportunities presented by the NBA Tunnel and the star power of the players by using the tunnel as a way to launch partnerships or products. For example, in January 2023, James achieved fame for the collaboration of Tiffany & Co. x Nike while walking in the tunnel before a game against the New York Knicks. The Lakers player wore a black and Tiffany blue letterman jacket paired with matching Nike Air Force 1 “1837” sneakers.
Pierno highlighted Trae Young as another player who had a memorable tunnel during his career. In 2019, the Atlanta Hawks point guard highlighted his Adidas x Icee sneaker collaboration by walking the tunnel in an all-white look carrying a freezer case of the frozen drink.
“When you really look outside of the game, it’s clear that brands are partnering with players,” Kumekpor said. “You’re dropping capsules early or you see it in the tunnel. You look at the correlation between some of those same brands and how they’re generally partnered with the league, there’s such a connection and correlation.”
The NBA’s wide range of Tunnels has attracted non-basketball fans interested in following the looks of the players.
“It’s become a great tool to get new fans because if you’re a new basketball fan, the statistics might go over your head because there are so many numbers that aren’t in basketball,” Pierno said. “But, even if you don’t know all the high fashion brands, you can relate to the amazing outfits the men wear in the tunnel.”
Pierno’s LeagueFits can be credited with increasing the popularity of the NBA Tunnel, as the account has been documenting tunnel walks since 2018. Pierno explained that when he started the account, there was little coverage of athlete style during the broadcast.
“In the mid-2010s, if your outfit was visible, it might be because you had a nationally televised game on TNT and Charles Barkley was making a statement about it,” he said. “Maybe it was on TV for 10 seconds and it’s just some B-roll, but now LeagueFits has a big role because, when we first started in 2018, we were posting everybody – star players , benchwarmers, anyone who was dressed up. It was moments that lasted.”
At the NBA, Piken Koper said the NBA Tunnel has some of the highest performing content in the league on its social media platforms and app.
“It’s grown as social media has grown,” she said. “It’s pleasing that our consumers are very interested in it and I think the players are starting to have a lot of fun with it.”
While some basketball players stick to the classic men’s style for their tunnel walks, others have used the NBA Tunnel as a way to experiment with high-fashion and unconventional looks. This is what Kumekpor suggested about the NBA Tunnel, as it shows changes that are visible throughout the men.
“You look at this generation and you look at sports fans today — this concept of individuality is one that resonates with a lot of consumers,” he said. “People are going back to the uniformity and conformity of dressing according to a set of rules. If you look at the tunnel, there are many guys challenging rules and challenging norms about how you put things together, how you dress and how you style certain things. That is very relevant to today’s consumer who is moving away from the rules of trust.”
As the 2024 playoffs wrap up in the coming weeks, the stakes are even higher for the NBA’s best players to step up their game, both on the court and in the tunnel.
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