Since Michael Jordan had a major role in the beginning of the sneaker revolution, basketball has always been the sport with the greatest style. However, according to Brooklyn Nets player and well-known dandy James Harden, the pre-game tunnel camera’s introduction in the previous five years and the pressure it places on players to look well have elevated things to a new level. In an interview conducted last week, he pondered, “When you look back in the NBA, stars used to dress.” “However, it seems like the focus is now more on fashion, to the point where our tunnels have runways.” It looks like a show with the cameras flashing.

“You have to put it on,” Harden went on. “You should wear that attire when you enter the game because numerous photos will be taken of you. Following that, they will be shared on social media. Thus, if you want to be mentioned, either positively or negatively! Depending on what you’re wearing, he said. You must be interested in fashion. “It’s a lovely thing; it’s kind of the culture.”

But even (or especially) when it comes to its biggest supporters, fashion tends to take more than it offers. For decades, for example, designers, editors, and stylists kept rappers at a cold distance, and it’s not apparent that the fashion industry outside of sportswear businesses fully grasped basketball’s influence on style.

Harden declared in June that he would be joining the Saks Fifth Avenue board because he wanted to change that. “It’s my responsibility to take my share of the pie and make it even better,” he declared. “As part of our agreement with Saks, it is my responsibility to assist Saks in changing the perception of the brand and letting the public know that we are not the Saks of old. We have greater creativity. We’re outdoors. Our goal is to leave our mark on the fashion industry.

“To be honest, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” he continued. “You know, I don’t know another person in my position or another athlete who would get that opportunity.”

Harden is correct in saying that he is among the select few players with the strength and style to truly change that dynamic. He was a pioneer of the period of tunnel fittings. “I’ve been interested in fashion for a very long time,” he declared, expressing his enthusiasm for “the creativity and the different way of thinking.” I have the impression that I am in that creative realm.

He is a clotheshorse, plain and glorious, with no particular brands that he loves. He refers to designers as “artists.” He loves prints, unique fabrics, and odd shapes, and he wears both the hits and rarities from Balenciaga with equal panache. He’s never regretted a piece of clothing. “I believe I’ve ever worn something that made me ask myself, ‘What the hell was that?'” “But I’m confident most of the time,” he remarked. “I’m simply incredibly weird in that I feel confident in anything I wear. The majority of individuals in the rooms I enter ask me, “What the hell is he wearing?” However, I feel normal inside, as though I’m wearing something that everyone else is wearing.

I asked Harden if NBA players receive the same amount of support from the fashion sector as they do. He acknowledged that the connection wasn’t nearly where it ought to be. “It is my responsibility as a Saks board member to close that gap. There have been gamers who attend fashion week and individuals who dress or otherwise wear clothing. However, to really make it cool, you have to give some of these younger guys who dress well and are interested in fashion the chance to get into the industry at a higher level. I think I’m going to open the door for that by bridging the gap and bringing more attention to Saks and what we’re capable of. not only in the realm of fashion but also in the neighborhood.

The latest indication that Saks is eager to foster menswear’s expanding impact in fashion is Harden’s appointment. The store has been collaborating with other NBA players for branded content, including two projects with Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz and Austin Rivers of the Denver Nuggets in June for Father’s Day. The store completed a massive renovation of its menswear space in 2019, making it one of the largest footwear destinations in the nation.

In the industry, Harden is already playing a bigger role. He and his best friend Lil Baby went to Demna Gvasalia’s debut Balenciaga couture back in July. “We were shopping in Paris when all that craziness went down,” he remarked, making reference to Lil Baby’s arrest on Avenue Montaigne, the most upscale shopping area in the city, for marijuana possession. “When it comes to business, fashion, and careers, we literally discuss and do everything [together].” However, he’s so used to dressing a certain way that it’s just really, uh”—he carefully selected his words here—”simple. dislike wearing a lot of bright colors or clothing, as well as stepping outside of their comfort zone. I’m the complete opposite! He gives me the look that I’m doing something wrong if I dress a little strangely! My task is to help him reach that point where he still exudes confidence and can wear anything.