If you look at ad campaigns belonging to luxury fashion houses and expensive automobile manufacturers these days, chances are you won’t spot as many familiar faces as you could a few years back. NBA superstars are ditching deals with high-end, aspirational brands to sign on as brand ambassadors for labels that we can actually afford. The recent shift gives stylish fans the opportunity to ditch the Versace knock-offs and acquire the same exact clothes that their favourite athlete-influencers are sporting. One-off collaborations, personal labels and Nike endorsements aside, we found the ballers responsible for bringing NBA style to the masses.

 

Stephen Curry for Express
The Golden State Warriors’ golden boy, Steph Curry, signed on with Express as a brand ambassador at the tail end of 2014. The retailer’s a go-to for up-and-coming professionals with a mix of mid-range, off-the-rack suiting and more casual clothing that includes denim and accessories. Curry is slated to appear in the company’s upcoming advertising campaigns this coming March.

 

Nick Young for Forever 21 
It was only when Nick Young was featured in Forever 21’s holiday ad campaign last year that we first truly internalized the fact that the fast fashion retailer even had a men’s section. Young was enlisted as an ambassador along with his rapper girlfriend, Iggy Azalea. Forever 21’s aesthetic is composed of edgy pieces like digitally-printed sweatshirts and streetwear-inspired pieces that fit Young’s style, plus some basics and even budget suiting options for the everyman.

 

Kevin Love for Starter
The Cleveland Cavs’ recent pick-up has just signed on with Starter. In addition to gym clothing, Starter offers a more fashion-conscious mix of signature jackets, streetwear-inspired hoodies, snapbacks and even some collaboration lines. The stuff comes at absurdly low prices, ensuring hypebeasts can stock up on enough swag to rep several teams throughout the season (you know, just in case).

 

Chandler Parsons for Buffalo David Bitton
Denim brand Buffalo David Bitton’s first pro athlete spokesmodel was none other than Chandler Parsons, then of the Houston Rockets. He signed on with the brand at the end of 2013 to help promote Buffalo Pro, a campaign that was aimed at fitness-minded men. Something tells us they didn’t need a basketball player to get the message across, however. We’d say Ashley Sky, the smokin’ model appearing alongside the small forward, has the male demographic targeted just fine.

 

Tony Parker for Tissot

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