With the Knicks on the brink after dropping Game 3 at home, Tyler Kolek has been using the postseason as his own style spotlight—vintage Issey Miyake, Prada jeans, Chanel boots—and laying out a full set of outfits for whatever comes next.
About four hours before tip-off of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Knicks guard Tyler Kolek was getting dressed in a Midtown hotel a stone’s throw from Madison Square Garden.
Kolek is 25. a sturdy backup who tends to see playing time when the Knicks are either up by a lot or down by even more. After two seasons with the team. he’s become a fan favorite off the bench—most notably for saving “Knicksmas” when he led a major comeback in a Christmas Day game against the Cleveland Cavaliers last year.
But on this particular afternoon, the drama wasn’t only on the court. The outfit was the story.
Kolek—often the kind of player who looks like he’s just stepping out of the city rather than into a stadium—was preparing a vintage 1980s Issey Miyake quilted bomber jacket. faded Prada jeans. and leather Chanel hiking boots (also vintage. size 13). He described the effect simply: “You could look at a picture of the outfit and say. ‘Oh. is that the 1990s. the 2010s. or the 2020s?’ So that’s kind of the vibe.”.
It’s a look that lands loudly even in a Finals where other players show up dressed like they’ve already started the celebration—Jordan Clarkson and Victor Wembanyama among those taking style seriously. and the courtside crowd mixing in outfits as bright as Timothée Chalamet and Spike Lee’s orange and blue.
Kolek’s style doesn’t scream luxury the way some do. His logo-less, downtown-coded approach might not immediately register for everyone in a league full of top Chrome Hearts clients. Still, fashion obsessives know what they’re looking at. His Margaux bag has become an easy tell. And Kolek recently got profiled by Maurice Kamara of the People Gallery after he mentioned he was wearing Dries Van Noten.
This wasn’t an accident of timing. It’s a shift that has been building.
After his Miu Miu polos attracted second glances all season. Kolek arrived at Game 1 of the Finals in San Antonio in a full workwear set by Junya Watanabe. For Game 2. he wore a slouchy Bally leather blouson from the ’80s paired with vintage pleated Comme des Garçons trousers and white loafers from The Row.
Since the NBA relaxed its pregame business-casual wardrobe in 2020, more players have leaned into fashion. Kolek, though, says his evolution has been more recent. Where last year he tended to wear standard-issue Kith and Aimé Leon Dore. this year he looks like he’s been dressing with a different mission—off-duty. tailored. and tuned to vintage details.
A big part of that momentum is a boutique that Kolek actually shops.
Right before the Finals. he and Olivier Rogers went to Lara Koleji’s showroom and picked out runway pieces from back in the day. Rogers—an Olivier Rogers, a Brooklyn-based designer and stylist—was born in St. Martin, grew up mostly in Providence, and now works with Kolek to rebuild his wardrobe. “I was like, ‘This is your moment.’ The NBA Finals is like the NBA players’ Met Gala,” Rogers said.
Rogers and Kolek connected over their shared Rhode Island roots; Rogers grew up nearby in Cumberland’s region. and Kolek is from nearby Cumberland as well. When Tyler was picked up by the Knicks last year. Rogers reached out: “We got to lock in.” Rogers saw Kolek as the kind of player who could push tunnel style without needing to turn into someone else.
There’s also a practical reason it’s working. Rogers points out that, in person, Kolek doesn’t read as “a basketball player” the moment he steps out. “He could be walking the runway as a model,” Rogers said. One dream Kolek has kept close: walking for Ralph Lauren.
That dream isn’t just personal. Kolek says his teammates have noticed. “Obviously, we got a very fashionable team. Jeremy Sochan, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson. Those guys all like to dress,” he said. He looks especially at Landry Shamet for inspiration—Shamet wears button-ups and. as Kolek puts it. “dresses kind of casual and classy.”.
Their lockers sit next to each other at the Garden, and Shamet always checks in. “He always looks over. He’s like, ‘What do you got today, man?’” Kolek said.
None of that cancels out what comes next, though. After dropping Game 3 at home on Monday, the Knicks have work to do.
Kolek and Rogers are already planning. They’ve mapped out seven outfits in case the series goes the distance. The looks are heavy on vintage Armani, Prada, and Issey Miyake. Kolek declined to say which one he’ll wear to the trophy matchup. but he made the stakes clear in his own way. “Obviously, if it’s a closeout game, you got to come with something that will close them out,” he said.
In a postseason where the scoreboard decides the story, Kolek is betting that the image still matters—one vintage jacket, one clean fit, one quiet flex at a time.
Tyler Kolek Knicks NBA Finals Madison Square Garden fashion vintage clothing Issey Miyake Prada Chanel Junya Watanabe Bally Comme des Garçons The Row Lara Koleji Olivier Rogers
So he wore fancy stuff instead of focusing on the game? SMH.
I don’t even watch Knicks like that but the description sounds kinda cool. Like those old Issey Miyake bomber jackets always look expensive. Hopefully he plays as good as he dresses.
Wait the article says he’s a backup but he “saved Knicksmas”?? That’s Christmas Day, right? I thought Knicks were in the playoffs already, so is this Finals really connected or is this just like a fashion piece wearing a basketball hat lol. Also size 13 Chanel hiking boots is wild, what if the refs make him take them off.
This is why people say sports media is fake now, they talk more about outfits than wins. If Knicks are “on the brink” then why am I hearing about 1980s bomber jackets and vintage boots. Like okay, style spotlight… but can he not sell us this vibe thing? I heard he’s from Midtown though so maybe he just likes dressing like he’s going to brunch before tipoff.