The NBA is built upon style and swagger and has seen some iconic hairstyles through the years. Here are the five most iconic.
Alright, if you’ve clicked into this article then you know, as well as we all do, that times are tough right now. There are no NBA games at a time when the playoffs should be coming into focus. There might not be any NBA games to finish out this season at all.
We’re looking at professionals playing NBA 2K to pass the time, and marveling at how competitive Patrick Beverley can be playing a video game in his Los Angeles home. He walks around the room like he’s just taken a charge, nodding and looking at the ground the way that he does. It is the closest thing we have to the real thing right now.
But if we’re about to get behind a televised HORSE competition, which in fairness to the league is another way to stay relevant, drum up interest and include female and former players, then there is no reason why we can’t look back over some of the most iconic hairstyles to have graced the league through the years.
All lists are subjective, but this one probably even more so because well, hair preference is something that varies wildly from person to person. (I’m 29 and get a skin fade every three weeks. My girlfriend does not approve of the cut itself or the money required to continually go back to Diego for a fresh fade).
But what we’ve tried to do here is include all of the most iconic looks. The ones that you’re never going to forget, mostly for the right reasons, but perhaps the wrong ones as well. Lots of guys still didn’t make the cut though, hard as it was to leave out Dirk Nowitzki’s iconic mop or Chris Andersen’s mohawk. What we’re left with is the below, so let the arguments begin.
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<p>To look at Nash’s mane during that period (and also for part of his time with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/dallas-mavericks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas Mavericks</a>), you would say it reminded you of American Pie movies and The Offspring and surfing and white kids in high school.</p>
<p>Which is exactly why it is on this list. Not many other notable players had the same hairstyle as Nash, but he had it during his most high profile moment. This, in turn, made it a thing, whether people want to acknowledge this or not. If Nash was in his prime in 2020 you can bet his hair would have had its own Twitter handle.</p>
<p>Nash also didn’t look like the typical NBA player. Being a Canadian who grew up on the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/may/31/steve-nash-tnt-champions-league-tv-coverage-soccer-tottenham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrong side of the London derby</a>, this was appealing to, let’s be honest, not so athletic white guys who could hit the occasional jumper and also possessed what can only be described as “rec league heart”.</p>
<p>The look itself seems a bit dated today, with guys committing to the full-on long hair approach (think Kelly Olynyk), or else modernizing it by adding a man bun (Evan Fournier, before he reverted to a more traditional approach). Nobody will ever be able to do it like Nash though, and when the Hall of Fame is finally broadened to include hair, Nash’s will be a first-ballot induction.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-392990" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1081,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1172067416.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="1600" height="1081" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1172067416.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1172067416-768x519.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>3. The Dennis Rodman</h3>
<p>No great list of hair in the NBA would be complete without Dennis Rodman, although unlike everybody else on this list, his truly was a one-of-one that has not been seen since. It is crazy to think that the guy who seemed quiet and shy and won Defensive Player of the Years honors with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/detroit-pistons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Pistons</a> with a standard cut would grow into the Rodman of the Bulls, but it happened.</p>
<p>We all grew up around or went to school with somebody (male or female) who changed their hair color all the time, which adds a layer of familiarity to Rodman’s barnet, even if you’re too young to remember watching him play. Not that that’s important anyway. Rodman has transcended the game in his unique way.</p>
<p>Like Nash before him, there is something extremely nostalgic about the way Rodman dyed his hair, and it again ties in with pop culture at the time. Although you could make the case it was Rodman starting the trend and others following in that instance. Unlike Nash, it also shows us where the league was at that time as well.</p>
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<p>The 90s saw players coming out of high school and being given bloated contracts. Physical play was widespread, with teams like the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/new-york-knicks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Knicks</a> taking no prisoners, whether it was the NBA Finals or a Thursday night game against <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/charlotte-hornets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charlotte Hornets</a> in November. The image was getting grittier, and Rodman was certainly a gritty player.</p>
<p>With the Bulls, where Rodman’s hair experimentation was out of control, he was part of what is probably the best team in NBA history and was treated like a rockstar. He certainly looked like a rockstar. Before landing there though he was with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/san-antonio-spurs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Antonio Spurs</a>, who were led by David Robinson and were as clean-cut as it got.</p>
<p>Rodman had some crazy hair days there too, but this just ostracised him from that group even more. His attitude and mentality were the main reasons, but the fact he was such an out-there guy in appearance didn’t help either. The Rodman is a classic, and there’s a reason players haven’t gone to those lengths again. Nobody did it like Dennis.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-392992" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2404,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1205346353.jpeg" alt="Brooklyn Nets" width="1600" height="2404" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1205346353.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1205346353-768x1154.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2. The Dr. J</h3>
<p>Going right back to the classics, and no list would be complete without the inclusion of Julius Erving. The great “Dr. J” being the predecessor to Jordan, with his high-flying abilities trademarked not by a tongue sticking out or a pose that made Jordan a billionaire, but rather his trademark afro that captured the style of the time so perfectly.</p>
<p>We may be cheating a bit because Erving spent considerable time in the ABA, but by the time he got to the NBA, he still had his famous fro intact. Like the others on this list, it too captures the feel of the time. Only this time, it is one of 70s slickness and groove.</p>
<p>That style may be long gone, but it still influences today. Guys like Jarrett Allen, who plays for the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/brooklyn-nets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Nets</a>, may not be <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/25/sports/jarrett-allen-brooklyn-nets.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paying tribute to Erving</a> with his hairstyle, but it is the first thing you think of when you see him attack the basket and fly through the air. That in itself shows how iconic Erving’s hair was, that anybody else with an afro instantly reminds you of him.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dr. J throwing it down at the age of 63! <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBABDAY?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#NBABDAY</a> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://t.co/6QXTUlVtB1">pic.twitter.com/6QXTUlVtB1
<p>— NBA History (@NBAHistory) <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/1231269923059453952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>February 22, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Erving had a chance to do something that nobody else could have on this list, and give the hairstyle new life as he got older, but he instead elected to shorten his hair (or else it simply stopped growing as long. Again, I haven’t asked him). But can you imagine if he’d kept the length once he went grey? Now that would have been an iconic look.</p>
<p>Another reason this ranks so highly is that it’s the style of the decade. Of the moment. Willis Reed was kind of getting there with what he had going on. Oscar Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar had a bit of pomp and verve to what they had going on up top for a minute there as well. But nobody’s went as high, as out there, as Erving’s.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-392993" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1303,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1130383584.jpeg" alt="Philadelphia 76ers" width="1600" height="1303" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1130383584.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1130383584-768x625.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo credit should read J.P. MOCZULSKI/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1. The Allen Iverson</h3>
<p>I fear if this hadn’t taken the top spot, the people would have rioted. The Allen Iverson isn’t top of the list out of fear of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/philadelphia-76ers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia 76ers</a> fans or online hard men giving me a hard time though, it is the obvious choice for number one and without question should be there.</p>
<p>It is the hairstyle of the NBA. It came to define not only a generation but a shift in the appearance of the league. Allen Iverson was the person that helped truly blend basketball and hip-hop culture. It wasn’t just about the game, it was about the swagger. The appearance. The humiliating opponents.</p>
<p>Streetball moves. Mixtapes. When you think of all of these things, the cornrows will eventually come to mind. There were the tattoos as well, which added to the appearance and frightened the elderly stiffs who held the higher up positions in the league. But everybody has a memory of Iverson when they see that hair.</p>
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<p>For me (and I’m sure many many others), it’s that step over Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals. That was the other thing about Iverson, you just <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/04/12/the-5-most-iconic-hairstyles-in-the-history-of-the-nba/"https://hoopshabit.com/2016/06/24/50-greatest-nba-players-without-championship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">couldn’t help but root for him</a>. He was closer in physical stature to the average guy. His overall appearance, including tattoos and hairstyles, were much closer aligned to the streets than how other professional players appeared.</p>
<p>Iverson was tough. Iverson was real. Iverson had a unique hairstyle that went on to be copied countless times by all manner of individuals. Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin, Kawhi Leonard and Ricky Davis to name but a few. Outside of the NBA as well, the reach of Iverson’s appeal and look turned up everywhere.</p>
<p>Hector Bellerin. Willian. Fat Ronaldo. Even David Beckham. Professional soccer players who were no doubt influenced by Iverson’s appearance and the way he carried himself. There will never be another hairstyle as iconic or as important to the league as Iverson’s, and it should be celebrated and treated as so while there are no actual games to be watching.</p>
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