Tunnel Wars: Finals Game 7

What do you wear with a championship on the line? A suit, favorite shirt, statement piece, or maybe you keep it simple like Thunder’s Chet Holmgren with a good old Nike sweatsuit. But is pre-game style even important to a player getting the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream? 

Absolutely.

Compared to game 6, both teams collectively took their pregame style up a notch to close out the season. That's not to say it was a bad showing in the previous game, but more players caught my eye Sunday night, especially the Pacers, whom I deemed the losers of the tunnel fit battle on Thursday.

Starting with new faces Myles Turner and Obi Toppin, Pacers two big men, who I wouldn’t say had my favorite looks but showed their style. For Toppin, it was a statement top from le PÈRE, a New York based brand founded by Ryan Wright. The mashup between a long-sleeved button-up and graphic t-shirt was my second favorite item to see in the tunnel. The graphic was loud, attention-grabbing, and paired well with Jordan 1s. However, I feel he could have worn a different pair of denim; the proportions of the baggy loose-fitting top with the straight leg denim wouldn’t have been my choice. 

Turner came quietly, repping luxury fashion in a monochromatic look, elevating a very simple look with the quality of the clothes. He wore a black Prada t-shirt and black pleated trousers folded at the ankle to show off his leather boots. I wasn’t familiar with the boot brand, but they featured a front strap with a silver clasp to the side. Topped off with black frames and a Goyard bag to match the color scheme. 

The team leader on the court and in off-court style, Tyrese Haliburton, showed up for the biggest game of his career so far, repping his team. In a black leather Pacers jacket that looked like it was pulled straight from the nineties. The rest of the outfit felt like it matched the time as well, his black shirt was tucked into a crisp pair of blue denim and finished off with an all-black pair of Dr. Martens derbies. 

His accessorizing was very subtle, only one chain, a pair of glasses, and a plain black belt. With one highlight of a bag, the yellow Louis Vuitton ‘millionaire’ speedy bag. It’s great, a pop of color that ties right back into the outfit with the yellow lining of his jacket. Even though it was an unfortunate ending for Haliburton on the court, he had a great performance in the tunnel. 

A great showing from the Pacers, but on to the Thunder who had more looks that I favored before Thursday's game. Let’s just say they didn’t disappoint.

Starting with my new style inspiration and favorite look of the night, Lu Dort, I was genuinely lost for words. You could say I wasn’t familiar with his game. 

Dort walked the walk in a black double-breasted blazer left open to show off the plain black shirt and three chains, all with cross pendants that danced around his neck. Hanging from the collar of the blazer was another chain with a cross that hung like a pocket watch. His shorts were my absolute favorite part of the look, a pair of black dress shorts, but look closely towards the knee of the shorts and you see leg openings that are constructed like the waistband of the shorts. Belt loops, side and back pockets all detailed at the bottom of the shorts. Finished off with Comme des Garçons socks and MM6 Maison Margiela x Dr. Martens 1461 loafers. 

You can never keep the Thunder guards out of the conversation when we are talking fashion, the usual suspects, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but a surprise for me was Andrew Wiggins. He arrived in a candy red leather jacket, a white tee, black double-knee leather pants, and black Timbs. 

Red is my favorite color to wear so there may be a little bias there…but still the jacket did what it was supposed to, completely grabbing my attention.

For J-Dub, he sported what looks like another vintage tee, a long pair of distressed jorts, slouch socks, and Rick Owens low-top vintage sneakers. The tunnel has shown me one thing so far, and it's that NBA players have a deep bag collection. The highlight of his outfit was the beige shearling messenger bag he wore from ERL. It was a statement, but it was also playful, went perfectly with the color scheme, and just made me want to make an impulsive purchase. 

Last but certainly not least, the MVP, who also toned down his outfit in terms of label representation but not style. From the top down, an army green diesel hat, boxy shaped grey hoodie with a snap closure, a pair of black leather pants with a front flap let down, and finally his sneaker, the Shai 001 in baby blue. 

In a great presentation of style and even greater performance on the court, the Pacers and Thunder closed out the season, with the Thunder crowned NBA champions. As well as winning the style competition, and since they are the last team standing, I feel like it's only right to name them the most stylish team in the league. 

Now we wait until the NFL season, where we get to see more style and tunnel outfits from players we know and love.