Most athletes used to dress like athletes. Warm-up gear before games, suits for press conferences, nothing too interesting. Then some of them figured out clothes could be another way to win.
These men did not simply dress in costly attires. They have popularized the idea of an athlete being interested in fashion so much that no one would question their interest level in their sport. Previous generations kept those worlds separate. This group refused to choose.
Walt Frazier Didn’t Ask Permission
Frazier was a point guard for the Knicks of the 70s. He also sported fur coats and broad-brimmed hats in Manhattan like he owned the place. Tailor-made suits, a Rolls-Royce painted whatever suit he had chosen—the man made a business of dressing.
His Puma Clyde sneaker lasted longer than the careers of most of his teammates. They keep on introducing new colors after half a century. That’s not athletic footwear. That’s culture.
Derek Jeter Made Baseball Look Good
Baseball players don’t have a reputation for taking style risks. Jeter changed that. The Yankees captain showed up looking sharp, worked with brands on actual design rather than just cashing endorsement checks, and made clear that presentation didn’t conflict with performance.
Fans noticed. They started engaging with baseball beyond just watching games—some tracked performance through MLB parlay picks and betting strategies. Parlay betting combines multiple predictions into higher-value wagers and requires understanding player form, pitching matchups, and team dynamics—the kind of detailed analysis that shows how deeply fans now engage with every aspect of the sport.
LeBron’s Style Grew Up With Him
At eighteen, LeBron wore all the baggy stuff—the jerseys a size too large—the sort of decisions that you make when you have just been made very rich and very unsure what to do with your newfound fortune. Nobody blamed him.
Current LeBron shows up in Thom Browne shorts suits and limited collabs that sell out before most people hear about them. His game got better. His wardrobe got better. Both took time and actual effort. Fortune Business Insights tracked sports apparel hitting $211.57 billion in 2024, proof that athletic style became mainstream because players like LeBron made it acceptable.
Westbrook Treats the Tunnel Like a Runway
Pre-game tunnel walks generate more press coverage than actual games sometimes. He’s shown up in leather kilts, Thom Browne suits that look like geometric puzzles, Rick Owens boots that cost more than most people’s rent. Fashion people need a minute to process his choices.
His brand Honor the Gift pulls from growing up in Los Angeles. Real stories, real neighborhoods, not another celebrity slapping their name on generic streetwear. Paris Fashion Week invites him to the front row now.
Hamilton Made Racing Drivers Care
Racing drivers wore team polos. Sponsor logos covered everything. Hamilton looked at that and decided it was boring, so he started showing up in custom suits and prints that made him the most photographed person in the paddock.
His Tommy Hilfiger work wasn’t just “famous person endorses brand.” He had actual creative control. Met Gala invites him now, not because he drives fast cars but because his style stands on its own. Mordor Intelligence found athletes driving jersey sales up 1,913% while team attendance jumped from 4,000 to 17,000 fans per game.
