There are only two things that will get me to watch professional basketball: Steph Curry’s adorable, scene-stealing three year-old daughter during his postgame talks and Russell Westbrook’s pregame outfits. I mean, would you look at this?
Thankfully for me, both events occur either before or after tipoff, meaning I can catch all the real action without watching a minute of the game.
In this week's Retail Therapy, we look at the spending habits of these ballers, the resulting fashion highlights, and more.
Hey big spender
During the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the San Francisco Chronicle used data from Personal Capital to break down the spending habits of 50 basketball players. According to the data, the average NBA player spends around $42,000 a month, with the top spending category being "clothing and shoes." Express was by far the players' favorite place to splurge, with the 50 players spending a combined $221,108 at the retailer from December 2015 to March this year, beating out Whole Foods Market ($73,113) and Neiman Marcus ($59,610).
There's only one store where NBA players spend more money than they do at Whole Foods https://t.co/ENMYmLmmLs pic.twitter.com/e7rzjXTCjG
— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) June 9, 2016
Off court, on trend
These spending stats might be a bit alarming to the average American, whose annual salary roughly equals an average NBA player’s monthly spend. But in these players’ defense, they are seeing some stiff competition to top the NBA's best dressed list, mainly coming from the Steph Curry of pregame outfits, Russell Westbrook. SB Nation gives us a nice rundown of all his fashionista moments, including links to the websites stocking the wares. Now you too can stride in style in your very own $1,595 jean jacket.
Enter Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/banSbZoQ7Q
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) May 10, 2016
Or jean overalls.
Russell Westbrook arrives for Game 4 as only he can. #NBAStyle f455;f3a9;</span><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAVine?src=hash">#NBAVine</a> <a href="https://t.co/TOZRhcMl1a">https://t.co/TOZRhcMl1a</a></p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/735237391489896448">May 24, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <h3 class="standard-heading">New twist on old looks</h3> <p>Again with basketball fashion, this time old-school style: Converse recently rolled out an updated version of its Chuck All Stars, the iconic shoe that was first designed for the basketball courts. The company worked with parent Nike to reinvent the shoe, dubbed the All Star Modern, more for the athleisure customer than the sporty type. In addition to having cushioned arch support for increased comfort, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3060535/converse-debuts-a-totally-reimagined-all-star-sneaker/1">Fast Company reports</a> that the shoe sports breathable “circular knit cotton fabric” and lightweight plastic for the bottom and toecap.</p> <figure class="inside_story"> <div class="figure_content"> <div><img data-imagemodel="42039" src="https://imgproxy.divecdn.com/UhQ8kwz65xEMA4MCRC1GAzBKev2Cy3W1nys1fl4ddSY/raw:1/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2xlZ2FjeV9zb3JsLzExMTU2ODQxMjgyNTVkOTgyOGZiYWMyMjNmMmM3OTFlLmpwZw==" /></div> </div> <figcaption class="inside_story_caption"> <div class="caption_text">The new line of All Star Moderns</div> <div class="source_text"><a href="http://media.converse.com/news/converse-unveils-the-all-star-modern-sneaker-inspired-by-the-1920-all-star">Converse</a></div> <div class="clearfix"> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="standard-heading">Ring a bling bling</h3> <p>Just to throw you for a loop, we’re going to end with … celebrity engagement rings. This week was wedding week at Racked, so naturally they had to cover Neil Lane, the unofficial designer of those massive monuments to love celebrities call engagement rings. <a href="http://www.racked.com/2016/6/8/11878362/neil-lane-engagement-rings-celebrities">Racked talked</a> to Lane about his favorite celebrity engagement rings, which have graced the fingers of Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and multiple seasons of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" contestants. </p> <figure class="inside_story"> <div class="figure_content"> <div><img data-imagemodel="42041" src="https://imgproxy.divecdn.com/mITmgrxsO_suKAgGZ8FN5zBnaQ-OH-bRuooDO-UudeI/raw:1/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9naXBoeV9rMGtHSXBaLmdpZg==" /></div> </div> <figcaption class="inside_story_caption"> <div class="caption_text"></div> <div class="source_text"><a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/75yXYus44FMw8/giphy.gif">Giphy</a></div> <div class="clearfix"> </div> </figcaption> </figure> <p> </p>
