The Nba’s Dress Code Was Seen As Policing Black Culture. Instead It Inspired A Fashion Revolution

Lonzo Ball’s froze successful confusion. The mobility – “What do you deliberation astir nan NBA dress code?” – hung successful nan aerial for a 2nd earlier he cracked a sheepish grin.

“There’s a dress code?” he said, smiling.

Twenty years aft nan preamble of a norm that erstwhile roiled nan convention and ignited a civilization warfare complete image and identity, 1 of nan NBA’s existent players didn’t moreover cognize it existed.

“Now do-rags are flying, on pinch jerseys and baggy stuff,” said Ball, a constituent defender for nan Cleveland Cavaliers. “I didn’t cognize we had a dress code. I conscionable knew we had to put thing on.”

Former NBA commissioner David Stern instituted nan dress code, which went into effect astatine nan commencement of nan 2005–06 season. The argumentation has been relaxed since Adam Silver succeeded Stern successful 2014, but nan first rollout – arsenic pinch astir alteration – came pinch contention and pushback.

The codification required each players to dress successful business aliases blimpish attire erstwhile arriving and departing games, connected nan chair erstwhile injured, and erstwhile conducting charismatic NBA business.

Players bristled astatine nan announcement because nan argumentation efficaciously banned oversized T-shirts, do-rags, jerseys, and different “hip-hop-inspired” attire.

The league’s move was wide seen arsenic a critique of Black civilization – a policing of look and a consequence to nan NBA’s discomfort pinch hip-hop aesthetics that had go inseparable from hoops itself. The backlash was immediate, loud, and profoundly personal.

For many, it was besides a nonstop onslaught connected Philadelphia 76ers defender Allen Iverson, who became nan poster kid for what not to wear. Iverson, past 1 of nan biggest stars successful nan league, was known for his tattoos, braids, and baggy gear.

In a caller question and reply connected The Breakfast Club power show and podcast, Iverson said his power connected different players helped trigger nan NBA’s response. “David Stern and nan remainder of nan NBA were like, ‘No,’ because it was each correct erstwhile I was doing it,” Iverson recalled. “But past everybody other said, ‘OK, if he tin do that, we tin do this.’ You spot Kobe coming successful pinch gem chains and baggy clothes, and everyone started doing it. Then nan convention was like, ‘Hold on, we’ve sewage to do thing astir that.’”

Twenty years later, that infinitesimal – erstwhile seen arsenic a civilization warfare betwixt nan convention agency and players – has travel to correspond thing acold much complicated. Instead of erasing individuality, nan norm inadvertently helped create a manner renaissance that reshaped some nan NBA and world style.

Allen Iverson successful a crippled against Kobe’s Bryant’s Lakers successful 2001. Some saw nan NBA’s dress codification arsenic a rebuke to nan 76ers star. Photograph: Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images

What began arsenic a instruction for “professionalism” evolved into tunnels lined pinch photographers, endorsement deals pinch high-fashion brands, and players driving world trends successful ways nan convention ne'er imagined. Former NBA guardant Ira Newble, who remains racially conscious, vividly remembers nan tension.

“Everyone seemed upset and up successful arms astir nan dress code,” Newble, who was playing for nan Cavaliers erstwhile nan prohibition came in, says. “No 1 wanted to person a dress code. It was a large deal.”

Players were utilized to walking successful sweats, hoodies, aliases immoderate felt comfortable during agelong roadworthy swings. The style of nan clip – oversized clothing, agelong achromatic tees, and baggy jeans – was heavy linked to hip-hop culture.

“My style astatine that clip reflected hip-hop culture,” Newble says. “I had nan braids and wore baggy clothes. The sentiment among players was that nan NBA was trying to return distant from nan taste end. Iverson was an power of that culture. That’s what nan contention was about. It felt arsenic though they were trying to alteration and get free of hip-hop culture.”

But Newble besides recognizes really nan infinitesimal evolved. “Everything benignant of grew successful a different guidance wherever hip-hop civilization tin still beryllium embraced wrong nan dress code,” he says. “So it’s cool to spot really it evolved.”

Inside nan convention offices, nan intent was different, according to Kathy Behrens, nan NBA’s president of societal work and subordinate programs.

“We felt astatine nan clip that it was important for our players to coming themselves successful a much master manner erstwhile connected convention business,” Behrens says. “We were not demanding a suit culture, but we did want to raise nan level of really players showed up.”

She says nan convention anticipated pushback, but emphasized it was ne'er meant to sanitize hip-hop expression.

“We knew what nan extremity was, and it had thing to do pinch changing our players’ manner aliases culture,” she says. “We talked pinch galore players astir this alteration earlier implementing it.”

What nan NBA didn’t expect, Behrens admits, was what happened next.

“The reality is our players embraced nan alteration very quickly and genuinely raised nan level overmuch higher than we anticipated,” she says. “Pre-game ‘fits’ became a thing. It soon became a title complete who could dress nan best. How you dress became a taste touchpoint.”

Two decades later, nan convention still maintains a dress policy, though it has evolved pinch changing definitions of “professional attire” and is not arsenic strict arsenic it erstwhile was, allowing nan players to beryllium much imaginative pinch their manner choices. But nan bequest remains.

“When nan group astir impacted by it clasp it nan measurement our players have, you person to consciousness that it worked arsenic intended,” Behrens says.

When nan norm came in, Jameer Nelson was successful his 2nd NBA play pinch nan Orlando Magic. Nelson, now nan 76ers’ adjunct wide manager, tin admit really nan argumentation unified nan league.

“So it didn’t impact maine either way,” Nelson says. “But it was cool to spot nan brotherhood, nan fraternity of hoops players, move successful nan aforesaid direction, whether we liked it aliases not.”

Nelson laughs astatine really players person flipped nan communicative completely.

“You tin spot now really nan personalities are being shown done fashion,” he says. “I person my ain style, much aged school, much casual. Somebody told maine yesterday I dress hip-hop slash beforehand office.”

He says players coming simply person much devices to showcase their creativity.

“These brands, because of societal media, return advantage of it,” Nelson says. “If societal media was arsenic large backmost successful 2005, we astir apt would’ve done nan aforesaid thing. Getting dressed is art. It’s really you definitive yourself without moreover speaking.”

Few players symbolize that displacement much than those successful nan existent era, wherever passageway entrances lucifer manner runways and immoderate players are followed by photographers and videographers from nan parking car shed to nan locker room.

Take Cavaliers prima Darius Garland, considered 1 of nan team’s most fashionable players. He marvels astatine really acold things person come.

“The convention implemented a dress codification 20 years agone – that’s crazy,” Garland says. “Now we tin put connected our ain stuff. We tin definitive ourselves.”

Tim Hardaway Jr arrives for Game 5 of nan 2024 NBA finals. Pre-game outfits are often their ain manner shows. Photograph: Adam Hagy/NBAE/Getty Images

To Garland, manner and business are intertwined.

“A batch of guys person different avenues of gross pinch clothing pieces,” he says. “Guys person Lululemon deals, Armani deals. It’s crazy now. With nan dress codification not being a dress codification anymore, it’s giving america money we tin put successful our pockets, and it lets america definitive ourselves.”

If only nan convention had embraced a much relaxed dress argumentation earlier, says Garland.

“Hip-hop civilization influences basketball, and hoops influences hip-hop culture,” he says. “Everyone wants to spot what athletes are wearing truthful they tin deterioration it. We are nan influencers.”

What began arsenic a controversial, racially charged flashpoint has go a taste engine, embraced by nan league, celebrated by players, and followed by millions worldwide.

The NBA tried to specify professionalism. The players redefined it instead. The dress codification did not suppress nan culture. It amplified it.

Years later, nan runway to nan locker room, erstwhile a battleground, is now 1 of nan astir influential stages successful world fashion.

“You tin trace nan swag backmost to [Iverson],” Ball says. “The tattoos, nan braids, nan baggy stuff. We came a agelong measurement from [the NBA] punishing him for expressing himself. Now [hip-hop fashion] is astatine an all-time precocious again. We request to springiness Allen Iverson a batch of respect.”