tunnel fit finals
the only NBA playoffs coverage you need
On Sunday night, the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder played the second game of the 2025 NBA Finals, tying up the series at 1-1 in what could easily become a seven-game showdown. For those of you who do not follow basketball (don’t worry, you don’t need to know anything more about basketball to enjoy the rest of this post!), the star players on each team are Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder1.
Shai2 came into the finals having secured two MVP titles, both by a landslide, at the end of the regular season. In addition to the official NBA Season MVP award, he was also voted MVP by an anonymous pool of 158 players surveyed by The Athletic. Tyrese, in contrast, was voted “most overrated” (ouch!) by that same jury of his peers, though I think a few of them may have changed their minds after his performance against the Knicks last month.3
In addition to his MVP accolades, Shai has received a substantial amount of recognition for his style. In 2022, he was voted GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Year, as well as the NBA’s most stylish player (also by GQ) two years in a row. He’s also won the MVP award from @leaguefits on Instagram for the three years straight.
I covered a tunnel fit of Shai’s in a copy+paste post from last year, and Tyrese got a mention in another post from last year where I rated ten tunnel fits from opening week. But as the playoffs shaped up to pit the two of them against each other, I couldn’t resist a more in-depth look at both the MVP and the most overrated.4
Tyrese has been working with the same stylist, Olivier Rogers, since 2022, but his style has taken a more restrained turn this past year. Here are the recurring themes I’ve noticed in his 2024-25 tunnel fits:
Suiting Elements
A man… in menswear? Groundbreaking. But I like that Tyrese’s suiting holds none of that forced formality of the NBA dress code years. He’s not partial to one particular silhouette—double-breasted or single, loose or fitted, paired with a polo, button-up, or t-shirt. Because he wears tailoring frequently, it feels authentic and easy, not “David Stern made me do it.”5 (Also—the navy and black together, the burgundy blazer… it’s very Tibi-esque!)
Avant Garde Outerwear
If the outerwear is the star of his outfit, the rest of the clothes are there to support, not compete. Tyrese fills in around a statement piece with a low-profile pair of dress shoes and shades of neutral and black. Whether it’s a floor-length fur or crinkled patent leather, the outerwear gets the attention it deserves.
Signature Bag
He’s a bag repeater! Tyrese has been alternating between these two bags for the majority of the season—the Prada Buckle bag and the Margaux bag from the Row. (Complex also noticed). We love a repeat king—clothes are made to be worn! Nothing sadder than a closet full of cool stuff that only gets taken out once in a while. Those bags are earning their patina (patinae?).
A Touch of Prep
It’s not full-on prep (more Tory Burch than Ralph Lauren), but more of a hint. There are the familiar silhouettes—sweater vest, collared shirt, luxe cardigan, but the unexpected colors (kelly green, chocolate brown, bright white) feel more retro and louche than overplayed classic.
On to Shai—Mr. MVP. Like Tyrese, Shai has also been photographed wearing some of the same items over and over (again… like normal people do!), and for that we thank him. Where Tyrese was on more uncertain sartorial footing even just a year ago, Shai has thoroughly settled into his style—an SGA outfit is easily identifiable. Here are the clear throughlines of his most recent season of tunnel fits:
Khaki Workwear
These aren’t always matching sets, but pieces with a similar heft and utilitarian feel, and in vaguely the same color family. (Also, I recognize the pants from this photo on the far right…)
Double Denim
Shai’s got a denim garment in every shade of blue. The material might be super faded and distressed, crisp and classic, or covered in custom patches, but the pants are always Big (befitting a zoomer—in contrast to the more fitted silhouettes favored by some of his millennial elders… ahem, Anthony Davis ) and he almost always pairs them with his custom sneaker, the SHAI 001.
Full-on Camouflage
If Shai has one true sartorial fixation, it is camouflage! I especially love his full-on camouflage looks—it’s a pattern that is ironically so conspicuous in any setting other than an actual forest. It’s the perfect uniform for someone who knows he gets enough attention already (but wouldn’t mind a bit more).
Dramatic Leather
The only common thread between these jackets is their material—there are are no repeat silhouettes here. You’ve got a bomber, an overcoat/blazer, a cinched parka, and a short-sleeved baseball jersey made out of leather. The last photo on the right is a combo of all of his favorites: leather, denim, and a camo baseball cap to top it off.
Just for fun (and with the criteria being solely my own personal preference), I made a bracket to choose my favorite outfit from all of the above. (Yes, I know this isn’t a true bracket!) And the winner is…
…Tyrese Haliburton! Did you really think I wouldn’t go for the underdog?
Shai’s outfits are so much fun, and he’s been a best-dressed contender (and winner) for years. He looks so comfortable in whatever he’s wearing that it’s easy to forget how much of a Look he’s always pulling off! I’m not as fond of Shai’s shoes—the SHAI 001 isn’t my preferred sneaker silhouette, and the pairing can sometimes feels less intentional depending on his outfit.
Last season, Tyrese wore some more ostentatious one-offs that he never seemed quite as comfortable in (let us never forget this FREQUENTLY memed fit… or this one), but this season, his style became more cohesive. He’s almost always in a dress shoe, he’s got a few signature bags that he rotates between, and he’s got a default palette of navy, grey, brown, and burgundy. Even his riskier picks showed restraint—that patent leather blazer could have fallen into memeable territory had he paired it with pants of the same material. Instead, he let the texture and shine of the blazer carry the rest of the outfit, narrowing the palette to all black.
This winning outfit is something I would wear myself. To borrow from the Tibi universe, I think you can easily segment this outfit into chill (t-shirt), modern (burgundy leather jacket), and classic (blue jeans). Even the three different types of leather work together here—not too matchy-matchy but still cohesive.
We’re only two games in and there’s no clear winner yet. (Honestly, I don’t really care who wins—my team is whoever is down at halftime.) In fact, I’m selfishly hoping we go to seven games to prolong the season for even a few more days!
Now it’s time for me to turn my attention back to the WNBA… perhaps a follow-up to this post is in order!
If you liked this, you might enjoy these:
the joy of the NBA tunnel fit
The first basketball game I ever watched in full was during March Madness in 2019. The reason for my sudden interest was a bracket challenge that the CEO at my previous job had initiated—on the line was a $250 flight voucher. I’d never been a sports person, but I am unfortunately someone who loves to win, and I spent several hours poring over available …
walking the impossible tightrope
I should preface this by saying that I have not been as informed and enthusiastic of a fan of the WNBA for as long as I have enjoyed the NBA (or MNBA). (Come back to me in a couple years, though, because I’m diving in!) However, I do feel the need to clarify that I was not solely pulled in by Caitlin Clark’s ascent to household name status. My friend Em…
copy+paste 04
It turns out that when you’re very passionate about something, people enjoy it, even if it’s a bit of a departure from your usual material. Hello to any basketball fans who subscribed after this post! I’ve even had a request for an analysis of Nicola Jokić’s tunnel fits, but I’m going to start with what I promised first—an attempt at recreating a specif…
copy+paste 09
copy+paste is a series of attempts to either digitally or physically recreate an outfit I saw and admired IRL. You can find all installments here.
rating 10 tunnel fits from NBA opening week 🏀
A special thanks up top to my new paid subscribers—I appreciate your support! If you missed the update, I’ve added a voluntary paid tier to Rabbit Fur Coat. Everything will remain free, but if you’d like to support me via a monthly or yearly subscription, you now have that option!
You can tell who the ‘stars’ are by who they put in the collages … (look, you can put images in a footnote!)
Yes, I know it’s customary to refer to people by their last name in writing, but I’m not about to write ‘Gilgeous-Alexander’ when Shai works just fine—feels too formal with their last names!
Coming into the finals as ‘most overrated’ makes you an underdog IMO—and I always root for the underdog
Men with purses is my new favorite genre!
We need a "whats in my bag" from Tyrese - I wonder what he's actually holding in them. It can't be his gym bag right??