Dressed for the full-court press
Jalen Rose, a college hoops star and NBA player turned brash media personality, commentator and fashionisto, kicks off his new weekly lifestyle column today.
THE NBA Finals are nearly here, and I’ve been covering them since 2002 when the Lakers swept the Nets, first for BET and then Fox and now ESPN. The networks change, but one thing stays the same: Every year I come up with a unique signature look, whether it be a slick silhouette or a blingy accessory. I’ve done doublebreasted suits, Cartier frames and a “Godfather” red rose in my lapel. My clothes have to be just as flamboyant as my analysis.
I grew up poor, but I grew up in Detroit, where dressing up was a way of life. We like to put a little extra sauce on things, and get loud with our clothes. I know my style isn’t going to be for everybody, and that’s OK. I love to be fearless, even if I have a misstep or two. That comes with the territory of being a tastemaker.
In 1991, when I burst on the scene with a norms shattering crew called the Fab Five, I was all about being punk rock rebellious but through a hiphop filter. While everyone else was wearing shorter shorts, we all wore ours long and baggy. We sported black socks, black sneakers and bald heads. It was an attitude-driven aesthetic that changed college basketball forever. When I was drafted, I went full on Motor City bold. In a sea of tan- and earth-toned suits, I stood out in a red pinstripe number and red gator shoes. Why red? Well, I thought I was going to be taken by the Clippers, and I wanted to represent their colors. I’m sure the Denver Nuggets really appreciated my suit when they selected me.
Before it became normal for NBA players to work with stylists, I signed on as the first client of a woman who later gave the league a style makeover. Rachel Johnson — who turned LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire and Victor Cruz into bona fide fashionistos — helped me embrace a more gentlemanly, refined look.
For me, fashion became a companion to what I did on the court and in the studio. I’ve always equated nice clothes with a sense of pride and a tangible symbol of success. More importantly, it helps to forge an identity. When you become an athlete, people try to minimize everything you do and call you a winner or a loser based only on how many championships you’ve won, which means there are only a handful of successful people such as Jordan, Magic and the late great Kobe. I never won a ring, but blazing my own sartorial path has been a championship of sorts. Looking sharp makes me want to work harder and reminds me of all of the times as a child that people called me skinny and bumpy and I was wearing patches in my pants and holes in my shoes that were too small.
I’m still kicking around a sartorial concept for this year’s Finals that will get people talking or maybe even shaking their heads. I’ll be deliberating on that and more in these pages. I’ll be sharing style tips, dispatches from the sidelines, anecdotes, food experiences, culture and music, and bringing you into my unique world — with a little Detroit flair, of course.