LeBron James may be the greatest basketball player of all time, but he’s also one of the best-dressed athletes off the court. Ahead of the first game of the 2020 NBA Finals on September 30 between the Lakers and the Heat, here’s a look back at the Los Angeles Laker’s best outfits of his career — from oversized suits in the early aughts to Thom Browne shorts and piles of fashion-forward diamond jewelry today.
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Hitting the red carpet for the 2003 ESPY Awards just after he was chosen as the first pick in the NBA Draft, James sported an oversized silver suit with a cross pendant necklace and white shirt.
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The 2004 ESPY Awards were all about bright and light colors for Lebron and Samuel L. Jackson, who presented the Best Team award together. James wore a pastel blue oversized suit with a white shirt and sneakers.
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Presenting alongside Eva Mendes at the 2005 ESPY Awards, James stood out with oversized shoulder pads and a pastel green shirt and tie.
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Before she was his wife, Savannah Brinson was LeBron’s date to the 2006 BET Awards.
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The 2007 ESPY Awards saw James in a more dressy — yet still wide-legged — brown tuxedo with pinstripes.
Co-hosting a “Two Kings” dinner with Jay-Z in 2011, James looked suave in a green suit with a black bow tie and matching shirt.
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In 2011, James sported a fedora, gray trousers and a brown blazer for a casual take on a suit at the preview party for animated series “The LeBrons.”
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LeBron accessorized with a scarf while attending Dwyane Wade’s 30th birthday party in 2012 in Miami.
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In 2012, James often sported these black-rimmed glasses, including at the 2012 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Awards alongside Savannah.
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James matched the red carpet — and Savannah — at the 2013 ESPY Awards in this red tux with black lapels.
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James posed with his own GQ cover while wearing a daring green paisley tuxedo jacket at the 2014 NBA All Star Party in Louisiana.
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He hit the red carpet at the “Trainwreck” premiere in 2015 wearing a charcoal suit sans tie.
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Attending the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Ceremony in 2016, James upped his suit style points by swapping a button-down shirt for a turtleneck and layering up his jewelry.
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Perhaps the most iconic suit James has ever worn, this Thom Browne short set made waves not only for its fashion-forward design, but also because the then-Cavalier player convinced his entire team to match for the entirety of the 2018 NBA Finals — except for Game 7, when his team won, clinching the series.
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Continuing his affinity for the Thom Browne shorts set, James sported a different version with basketball sneakers to accept the Harlem’s Fashion Row Icon 360 award in 2018.
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While sidelined due to a groin injury in 2018, James still put on a show with his colorful fashion sense.
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He even came back to Thom Browne, this time choosing cropped pants and Off-White “Vulcanized” Converse sneakers.
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Shortly after Nipsey Hussle’s murder in 2019, LeBron paid tribute to him with a T-shirt under a grey jacket.
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Again out for a groin injury earlier this year, LeBron celebrated a Lakers win over the Golden State Warriors with layered necklaces and waxed jeans.