National Basketball Association

NBA playoffs usher in new season of funky fashion trends

Published Jun. 3, 2014 2:08 p.m. ET

foxsports

Ah, NBA fashion.

Thanks to trailblazers, like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, there is absolutely no telling what we'll get from each playoff game -- in terms of the crazy outfits worn before and after games.

Sometimes, you're left wondering if these guys are being serious, or if they're playing an elaborate joke on all of us and/or each other.

Westbrook then ups the ante and dared Ibaka to wear a Billy Ocean jacket ... for which he did.

.@sergeibaka9 arriving for Game 4 #NBAStyle pic.twitter.com/UKiCjAKshn
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 28, 2014

#NBAstyle // @SergeIbaka9 arrives for Game 6 in Balenciaga high tops pic.twitter.com/LOtNO3QMte

Then, he probably dared Thunder teammate Derrick Fisher to dress like Notre Dame's leprechaun mascot. No one backs down from a Westbrook challenge.

#NBAstyle // Derek Fisher arrives for Game 6 pic.twitter.com/FgHOguDCFj

At this point, I think it's safe to say Westbrook is fairly serious. He seems to be making a statement with his fashion choices: "I'm different."

Sports Fashion: @russwest44 Rocks A $374 MSGM Floral Print Bomber Jacket http://t.co/GE1AIMdVjW pic.twitter.com/gNlb4ZlStV

Or maybe it's, "I'm in a grandmother's bowling league up top and a rock-n-roll band on the bottom." But who's to say?

Westbrook has been pushing the boundaries of fashion for years now, and it's clear he's had an impact on his teammates, through dares and challenges.

Thunder star Kevin Durant seems like he's still trying to find his overall sense of fashion, as there are about a million things going on here.

Durant's outfit would be a lot better without the "easy money sniper" ice. Ugh. #NBAStyle pic.twitter.com/J54Z48Hee0

But Thunder center Hasheem Thabeet might just have a unique style all his own. Here, he goes for the "A Different World" look.

#NBAstyle // @HasheemTheDream arrives for Game 6 in the Air Jordan XIII pic.twitter.com/FDLC2lJZh7

Which, you know, might be just kind of his thing.

Hasheem Thabeet. Fashion Emergency. pic.twitter.com/b4eRqWljQI

But alas, sometimes tradition wins out over youthful exuberance, and that's what happened when the Spurs beat the Thunder in the Western Conference finals.

Or is it? I mean, how do we know the fashion exhibited by Spurs legend Tim Duncan isn't just an homage to the past, or just a weird sense of style all his own? Like here, he goes for the "comfortable dad" look:

I give you...Tim Duncan in jorts pic.twitter.com/cOq3Jlb0mu

And here, he transported all of us back to the sixth grade when we were running late for class. Either that or it was "dress up like a '90s grunge wannabe" day in San Antonio.

Tim Duncan arrives for #SPURSvTHUNDER Game 6. #NBAStyle pic.twitter.com/aQlwCbTwXf

There's classic style on this Spurs team, too. Like sixth man Danny Green, whose jacket is actually a slightly more subtle version of his former college coach Roy Williams' favorite plaid jacket:

Love @DGreen_14's style? Here's a tip on how to get his look from @SprintPostUp. #NBAStyle pic.twitter.com/QTuF9rHaxw

And the Heat dispatched of a team that was perhaps crazier in the fashion department than they are in real life, as evidenced by Lance Stephenson:

#NBAstyle // @StephensonLance arrives for Game 6 in @LouboutinWorld sneakers pic.twitter.com/DRrcGQSxM6

Fear not, though. Crazy fashions will still represented in the NBA Finals -- and not just Duncan's weird dad wardrobe. The Heat have pushed boundaries when it comes to this, as well, most notably by Dwyane Wade, who popularized the floral jacket even before Westbrook broke it out this year.

Now, Wade is trying to bring back overalls with a vengeance, evidently.

These dudes only get away with this because they hoop lol pic.twitter.com/m14OUlCx0R

Wade even broke out ... capri ... sweatpants?

EL OH EL - Dwyane Wade wearing sweatpants, game shoes AND cutoff sweats with his jacket pic.twitter.com/FjalGEPaC2

LeBron James certainly has a sense of style of his own, which usually includes striped sweaters and a hat of some kind. But every now and then, even The King lets loose a little bit and lets out his inner animal.

LeBron with the hat, showing off the lion shirt. Dwyane looks like Pharrell pic.twitter.com/YyzAstbKvd

You usually see shirts like that for sale at gas stations, but that one probably cost hundreds of dollars. Still, the king of the jungle being worn by the king himself? Not bad.

So during the NBA finals, we'll see at least a few eyebrow-raising fashion choices, but let's not pretend Duncan's throwbacks are somehow inferior to everyone else's. It's all ridiculous, when you think about it. I say Duncan is starting a new trend, and soon "Dad Wear" will be all the rage:

classic white dad outfit @madi_ottt pic.twitter.com/bbnFk8gAt9