NBA Fashion Finals

     After hours of intense deliberation and a thick stack of stylish photographs left behind me, I have decided who will receive the coveted Classketball Trophy of the 2012 season.  It was rough, and at times it seemed like there was no end in sight.  But, after many blue raspberry slushies to clear my mind, the answer became clear.

      After the easy sifting and elimination of the obviously unfit candidates (c'mon Glenn Davis) it all came down to the top eight.  The Fashion Playoffs for the East in 2012 were, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Dwayne Wade.  For the West, Russel Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Andre Iguodala all made the cut.

     

The East was a real challenge to narrow down from the top four.  The first matchup, Melo and King James, was neck and neck for the entire series.  LeBron James has it all, a unique fashion sense, swag, and the skills to back it up.  Melo is the same, and he makes it a point to show up super well dressed for his ads.   Who would have thought that a single accessory would be the thing that led to ones downfall.  LeBron, you may be my favorite and best player in the world , but the thick hipster glasses have really thrown off your whole game. Its just been done too often.  Melo selects when to wear the hipster glasses and prefers shades.  Win for Melo.  

    

     The matchup between Amar'e and Dwayne Wade was not as close.  Amar'e has a pastel look that looks tight, but in the end, the chic and smooth style that Dwayne Wade has exhibited his whole career wins the day.  Advantage D-Wade.

     Down to Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony.  Both have such a classic sense of style and sense of classy that it may have been the hardest match to decide.  But, Melo chooses bright colored suit jackets and undershirts much too often.  D-Wade wears the greys of a classic, everlasting look and makes it look...well, classier.  The champion in the East is Dwayne Wade.

     

     The West was not as hard to decide.  Russel Westbrook made the cut because I thought his Urkel-esque look was a unique statement that showed he was a joker and just an all around cool guy to hang with.  After the same kind of horrid pattern a hundred times, I thought a little less of the style.  An easy win for Kobe Bryant.

     Andre Iguodala, on the other hand, has a sense of style very similar to Melo, crisp and smooth.  Chris Paul is equally well dressed, and shows his calm, savvy nature when photographed.  Then there is the issue of the hats. CP3 loves hats.  He loves to wear hats.  He loves to wear hats higher and higher on his head in every picture taken of him.  Its like skytops for your face.  Not cool, man, not cool.  Iggy wins. He wears hats the right way.

     Iggy versus the Black Mamba in the division finals.   Two powerhouses of chic, towers of style power.  For days in pondered, wondering who would be able to get any lead.  Then I stumbled on the photos of Kobe with those two girls that his wife got mad about.  No shirt and jeans.  That's way too 90's Kobe.  Your'e not Afro Kobe anymore.  Iggy wins again.

     Iggy versus D-Wade in the Fashion Finals.  These two juggernauts have really set the standard for what the classic NBA look should be.  When one of them shows up to a party, it HAS to be like a handful of doves fly through the door behind them and ten scantily clad ladies pop bottles of champagne in a tunnel in front of them.  And there's a tiger.  So how can I choose between two ballers whose off court style matches their on court presence.  It all comes down to simple attitude.  Which player knows he could coax a lady just with a nod of his head?  Which player knows that tiger will listen to him for no apparent reason other than his look?  

     That player...is Dwayne Wade.  Congrats Wade, you've shamed us all with your look.  And for every one of us you've ruined, you've ruined three ladies who will never look at us the way they look at you.