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The strange thing about reaching the top is figuring out what to do when you get there. For Jordan Clarkson, the answer might involve a runway.
Just days after helping the New York Knicks end their 53-year championship drought, the NBA athlete and GQ Philippines’ inaugural cover star traded the basketball court for Paris Fashion Week. He sat front row at Rick Owens and Saul Nash, then walked in Willy Chavarria’s Spring/Summer 2027 show, appearing in a blue jacket, open white shirt, pink plaid shorts, and loafers.
It was not exactly a surprising detour, since Clarkson has been treating the NBA tunnel like his own runway before he ever reached Paris. In 2023, he also walked at Paris Fashion Week for KidSuper in a custom ivory suit designed by Colm Dillane, with basketball-net detailing woven into both the suit and sneakers. Clarkson and Dillane worked directly on the look, turning it into something of a two-way collaboration between player and designer.
For years, LeagueFits—the definitive social media authority on NBA style—has documented this sartorial evolution. Clarkson has been selected in its year-end All-LeagueFits teams every single season since the platform launched in 2018. By 2025, he had earned seven consecutive selections, including six First Team honors. He wasn’t merely benefiting from the league’s burgeoning romance with high fashion; he was actively dictating what that relationship could look like.
Even now, he seems more interested in the creative process than the status that comes with being recognized for it.
“It’s been fun,” Clarkson says of spending time around fashion. “I get a chance to see other people put their work on the runway and their art in many different ways.”
The interest has been longstanding at New York Fashion Week, where he has attended shows including Givenchy and Tommy Hilfiger, while developing relationships with designers such as Matthew Williams and John Elliott. In 2025, his connection to the Big Apple became literal when he walked in Kith’s Fall 2025 runway show and subsequently starred in the brand’s campaign celebrating the iconic personalities who define the city.
His style has never followed the rules of conventional athlete dressing either. Clarkson has mixed luxury houses with streetwear, oversized silhouettes with tailored pieces, vintage finds with whatever else catches his eye. He has described his approach as having “no boundaries,” a philosophy that feels particularly appropriate for someone who has spent his career moving between basketball roles without settling into one fixed identity.
The same curiosity seems to be shaping what he wants from life outside basketball.
“Just being able to listen and become really like a fly on the wall in terms of insight and details and information that I’ve gained over the years,” he says. “I never knew the real details of what was a part of things. I enjoyed just being able to sit in those rooms and learn.”
That last part is significant. Clarkson is not talking about launching a clothing line tomorrow or announcing a meticulously mapped-out post-NBA career. He is talking about watching, listening, and figuring things out. After spending more than a decade in a profession where every decision is scrutinized, there is something refreshing about being a beginner again.
He has already proven he understands the value of a distinct personal aesthetic. His tunnel fits altered the NBA’s cultural conversation; his fashion week appearances turned him from a spectator into an active participant; and his runway walks blurred the boundary between elite athlete and pure creative. The league itself has leaned into his expertise, as in 2025, Clarkson hosted official NBA-style tutorials covering everything from statement jewelry and curated bags to vintage sourcing and advanced layering techniques.
Maybe that is the most interesting thing about where Clarkson is now, having spent a career that has become increasingly difficult to categorize. A scorer, sixth man, veteran, champion, fashion fixture, FilipinoFilipinoThe national language of the Philippines, widely used for communication, education, media, and culture.Go to Filipino Glossary, New Yorker. The basketball résumé may finally be complete, but the person underneath it is still taking shape.
Still, he is not rushing to define the next version of himself. When asked what comes after basketball, Clarkson has little interest in making the answer sound profound. There will be golf. There will be pizza, cheeseburgers, beer, and fine wine. Then, eventually, he will figure out the rest.
SHOOT CREDITS:
Story by GABRIEL YAP. Photographs by RITCHIE ESPENILLA. Styling by RAÚL GUERRERO. Groomer: RYANN CARTER. Producer: JULIAN RODRIGUEZ. NYC Producer: DAKOTA GRIFFIN. Styling Assistants: AXEL GARCIA & ANGELIQUE ANGEL. Digitech: JONATHAN CARMELLI. 1st Camera Assistant: PABLO HERNANDEZ. Set Designer: ARLINGTON GARRETT III. Videographer: MYLO BUTLER. Location: DWNTWN STUDIOS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just days after the New York Knicks ended their 53-year championship drought, Jordan Clarkson attended Paris Fashion Week, sitting front row at Rick Owens and Saul Nash before walking in Willy Chavarria’s show.
Jordan Clarkson first walked Paris Fashion Week in 2023 for KidSuper, wearing a custom ivory suit designed with Colm Dillane that featured basketball-net detailing woven into both the suit and the sneakers.
Clarkson has earned a spot on LeagueFits’ year-end All-LeagueFits teams every season since the platform launched in 2018, racking up seven consecutive selections by 2025, including six First Team honors.
Clarkson describes his approach to fashion as having “no boundaries,” mixing luxury houses with streetwear, oversized silhouettes with tailored pieces, and vintage finds with whatever else catches his eye at the moment.
Clarkson has attended New York Fashion Week shows including Givenchy and Tommy Hilfiger, walked in Kith’s Fall 2025 runway show, starred in Kith’s NYC campaign, and hosted official NBA-style tutorials in 2025.
