This weekend was a big one for the Los Angeles Lakers. The basketball team ended a decade-long wait for a 17th NBA title after they beat the Miami Heat 106-93 in game six of the finals and the side now ties with the Boston Celtics for the most NBA championships.
And of course it was forward LeBron James that led the side to victory, scoring a triple doubles (28 points, 14 rebounds and ten assists) and accepting the coveted Most Valuable Player award, in turn becoming the first player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP with three different teams (he has previously played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Heat).
If that wasn’t enough, the GOAT gave us some off-court style worth fawning over for the final outing of the season – as any devoted fan of basketball knows, pregame style is as anticipated as the on-court action itself, with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook doing it best.
Andrew D. Bernstein
Wearing a pair of tie-dye, cut-off tracksuit bottoms and a baggy T-shirt, it was actually what James wore on his feet and head that got us (and countless hypebeasts) excited. Down below, he donned a pair of Virgil Abloh’s milky Off-White Air Jordan IVs, which are among the most-hyped sneakers in gum sole history, while up top the self-named king crowned himself with one of the soldout bucket hats from Nike and Stüssy’s summer capsule collection.
And while it’s unlikely you’ll be bagging a pair of the aforementioned Jordans any time soon, the latter is something we reckon you ought to be getting on top of. Sure you might’ve thought the bucket hat had been left behind with Big Bank Hank of Sugar Hill Gang and LL Cool J’s Kangol number, but hear us out.
The normcore essential that you might’ve worn to shield yourself from your fellow ravers’ sweat in the 1990s is currently seeing a resurgence in popularity. Favoured by the likes of Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith, Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Nast, the bucket hat has also found its way onto the catwalks of Dior, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Fendi and Chanel, where it’s now logo-heavy and in some instances made from translucent plastic or in others ultra-floppy.
With that in mind, below are some of the best you can buy right now (including LeBron James’) to give your own wardrobe an injection of champion-worthy gear.
