Much like the real NBA playoffs, we witnessed chaos in action during the first round of GQ Sports’ Most Stylish NBA Player bracket. Kelly Oubre knocked out James Harden! Serge Ibaka wrapped a giant scarf around his neck, went to battle with certified Fit Legend™ Kyle Kuzma, and emerged a victor. Admittedly we engineered some of that aforementioned chaos when we pitted Chris Paul and Devin Booker against one another in some Sun-on-Sun violence—the Point God won, proving that the man can’t be stopped, on court or off.
Elsewhere, Most Stylish legends Russell Westbrook and LeBron James cruised to the semis. Russ runs into PJ Tucker, the league’s sneaker king. Kelly Oubre catches a hard matchup in Jordan Clarkson, a 6th Man of the Year on a Mission. And young king Shai Gilgeous-Alexander waits for ex-Thunder teammate Chris Paul. There’s 14 years between those two. Chris Paul probably has Jordans older than Shai.
Who’ll make it to the semis?
Round 1: It Begins
This year’s NBA Playoffs have been defined by how different everything feels. LeBron didn’t make it out of the first round. Chris Paul managed to make it past the second. Trae Young—Trae Young!—ascended to full-on star status. This will not be your average Finals. But even in a topsy-turvy year, one thing remained a happy constant: the NBA is still the most stylish sports league on earth, and its stars still spent the season strolling through arena tunnels while getting off enormous fits. And so, with the 2021-22 NBA season approaching its end, it felt like the right time to crown a champion—of, y’know, getting dressed. Welcome to GQ’s annual Most Stylish NBA Player Bracket.
The 16-player bracket is stacked, the matchups breathtaking. Russell Westbrook may try to take home the crown without once covering his belly button. P.J. Tucker decided he wanted to win so badly that he dropped a sneaker with Dolce&Gabbana and talked to us about it during the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fresh off a season as perhaps the most stylish young player the league has seen in years, is a dark-horse candidate to make a run at the chip. Teammates Chris Paul and Devin Booker will battle it out in the first round for generational (and Phoenix metropolitan area) supremacy. Unlike the real playoffs, LeBron James is still here, healthy, and still very much capable of taking home the title.
The league’s 16 strongest fit connoisseurs face off, starting NOW, in a 5-day, 5-round competition to determine the league’s best-dressed player. Each round lasts for 24 hours. And it’ll all take place on GQ Sports’ Instagram. Cast your vote every day—and stick around to see who hoists the GQ Most Stylish NBA Player trophy at the final buzzer.