Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade wear post-game glasses.
Photo: Getty Images
The wide and wonderful world of sports is one into which we seldom venture in these here digital pages of MTV Style (save, perhaps, our 24-hour David Beckham watch). Between Lady Gaga's black liquid perfume announcement and finding out where to score Katy Perry's movie poster outfit, we're rarely left with much time to cover the ins and outs of athletic fashion. HOWEVER, we write to you eyeballs deep in the exciting Oklahoma City Thunder v. Miami Heat 2012 NBA Finals, and the faux glasses fashion battle that is concurrently happening up and down these post-game interviews is more than enough to change our tune.
On the off-chance that you haven't been keeping up with the NBA Playoffs, let us fill you in. Last night, we just completed Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and the Heat are now leading the Thunder 2-1, which sounds as much like a meteorological report as it does a sports recap. On top of boasting the winningest records in the league, these two teams are also home to some of the NBA's most sartorially savvy players - Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. The four powerhouses have caught a lot of flack this season for wearing bold, lensless glasses during their post-game interviews, embodying a look that's been likened to Steve Urkel and Carlton Banks, and Westbrook was recently quoted claiming that he originated the "nerd glasses" trend, a statement both James and Wade vocally refute. In light of all the bespectacled buzz, we decided to take a closer look!
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant wear thick-rimmed glasses.
Photo: Getty Images
LeBron and Dwyane certainly have a case against Russell Westbrook as dude most definitely did NOT invent glasses (we're pretty sure that's a title that belongs strictly to Dominican theologian/preacher Giordano da Pisa), but this Long Beach-born Thunder point guard has no doubt become a kind of patron saint of statement eyewear. A quick look back throughout his interview outfits this abbreviated season reveals several different pairs of glasses that the man takes extreme care pairing with one über-stylish shirt after another.
One of our favorite outfits has been this post-Game One Sally Jessy Raphael red specs and Spring 2012 Prada graphic printed shirt combination. After the same game, Thunder forward Kevin Durant opted for a slicker execution of the eyewear trend, wearing a pair of Clark Kent-channelling black-rimmed glasses with a black satin jacket with a skinny lapel, crisp white button-up and skinny tie and told reporters, "I just like Men in Black."
MIAMI HEAT
Miami Heat's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade wear thick-rimmed glasses.
Photo: Getty Images
Where the Thunder's Westbrook and Durant employ more of a polished hypebeast (KD's MIB outfit withstanding) interpretation of the so-called nerd glasses trend, one might say the Heat's LeBron and D-Wade generally go for more of a GQ look. Their go-to specs of choice might not be the sleekest options out there (a kind of lensless RealD Cinema glasses look for James and some strange cousin of the ladyfavorite cat-eye silhouette for Wade), both dudes' ensembles after last night's Game Three were particularly dapper.
LeBron looked more polished than ever in rectangular black-rimmed glasses, a smart slate blue blazer with a peaked lapel, a subtle gingham shirt and olive printed tie. Dwyane, a Fashion Week front row staple, oozed summer-ready South Beach swagger in a green gingham notched lapel jacket and pastel blue satin tie. The floppy oversized orange pocket square may have been a little questionable, but those exquisite tortoiseshell frames more than made up for any other eyebrow-raising accessory game Flash may have been rocking at the time (*cough*matching finger sleeve*cough*).
MORE BESPECTACLED NBA PLAYERS
Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony wear thick-rimmed glasses.
Photo: Getty Images/Courtesy of @RajonRondo and @Amareisreal's Twitter
Don't get us wrong, though. Westbrook, Durant, James, and Wade aren't the only glasses-wearing NBA players out there. They're just shedding brighter light on an already-existing trend that's only continuing to flourish. We've seen fashion-forward frames on everyone from Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard to the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo to, of course, our New York Knicks dudes/Met Gala mainstays Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. This basketball season may be swiftly coming to a close, but we can't wait to see if the bespectacled trend holds, grows, or fizzles out during the off-season. Only time will tell! What do you think of these NBA players' "nerd glasses"?
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