There’s ice in his veins, a new title under his name, and swag all around him. D’Angelo Russell, a Brooklyn Nets restricted free agent and winner of GQ’s NBA Style Showdown competition, believes the key to his success is not taking things too seriously and allowing everything to come to him. His most prized possessions, such as a pair of A Bathing Ape shorts, may transition from casual lounging to super-fashionable nocturnal gym attire. A photo of a random tennis player on his Instagram Explore page may be the idea for his next look. His pets, too, wear Supreme-branded collars.

Russell defines his on-court style as “unpredictable,” with equal parts dazzling and conservative. One minute he’s crossing a defender and unleashing a high-arcing shot that would beat one of those inflatable tube dancers, and the next he’s hitting his man on the break with a precise bounce pass. His style is consistent: one day he wears the lunch pail equivalent of get-to-work sweatsuits, the next he wears head-to-toe Human Made.

Russell has had a breakout year, both on and off the court. He led the Nets to the playoffs, earning All-Star status, and after missing last year’s GQ NBA Style Showdown, he dominated this year’s battle. Russell dethroned the King and previous year’s winner, LeBron James, by carefully eliminating strong hitters such as James Harden and Kelly Oubre, Jr. So we called him up and asked how he felt about it.

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GQ: Wow, congratulations on winning the NBA Style Showdown.Russell, D’Angelo: Man, thanks for that. Simply put, I had never seen it. When I looked up, I realized that I was up against a few people whose styles I admire, so winning that was really awesome. It was fun to participate there. Success is the icing on the cake.

What does your style mean to you? What is your approach and workflow?I just wing it. I wing it when it comes to style. I believe that the weather and how you’re feeling both have an impact. However, I just put the pieces together, and if others who are looking in from the outside don’t like it, I just kind of go with it. I occasionally attempt to tidy things, stray from the more elegant appearance, and then return to a more vintage appearance. You never know. All I can do is attempt to keep it fresh. Be able to use it to touch every lane.

The retro appearance was rather striking. The player wearing the oversized Yankees jersey was the one we highlighted in your showdown with LeBron. Do you really like that style?It’s all about how you feel, I believe. There are many who take a different approach; they might simply go with name brands, which include the louder names and similar items. I put together looks for clients who are attempting to grow their apparel brand. Greetings from guys saying, “Hey, would you like to wear my shirt? “My shorts?” using their emblem, or whatever it may be. And I added a little of my own swag on it. And I believe that only serves to keep people alert because they are never—it’s not as if you could discover those pieces—limited. And that’s just me trying to be kind to other people by appreciating their ingenuity.

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You discussed wearing items that fans sent you or traveling to Greece to shop for clothing there, even if it wasn’t from the most well-known and hyped-up companies, when we met before this season. Do you believe that worked in your favor? When guys wear the newest name-brand clothing or the sexiest new Nikes, their style may appear more produced.Yes, since Gucci is accessible to all. Anyone can purchase The Fear of Gods. Professionals and all have enough money to purchase the identical clothing that they see the next guy sporting. They are able to accomplish that. As opposed to someone kind of telling you what looks nice on you, if you have your own taste, you know what looks good and appropriate on you. Additionally, I give smaller brands a chance as a priority. I believe it provides creative people with a platform to share their work with others of like caliber and to receive some appreciation in return.

You mentioned that you went to the gym and worked out in Bape shorts completely by accident, even with the recognized items.Indeed. It’s as though I was wearing them around the house since I’ll go to the gym at random times of the day. It seemed to happen by itself when you put on some basketball shoes. I wouldn’t really treat it like what it’s worth if it were just regular clothes or any other brand, but if it were a suit, I would definitely take better care of it.

I might utilize it for sleeping or just to spend the day playing Call of Duty while sitting in the house. I’m not making an effort to keep up with it.

Have you put together a favorite ensemble or look from this past season?Yes, sir. It was Human Made, Pharrell’s brand. It was the white dress shirt and the tan blazer paired with the striped tan slacks. That look was really great. I had that put together for me by my guy Browne [Andrews, Russell’s stylist]. and simply approaching it in a different way. therefore calls out to him.

D’Angelo Russell shows up wearing all white.Butler, Nathaniel S./Getty Images

How long have you been working with him? How do you go about creating these looks?It was simply a little trial and error. He kind of offered me the ideas if I wanted to create a suit or a semi-full suit with a hat. Throughout the season, I sent him photographs of things I liked, and together we would add our own touches and create a small masterpiece. It wasn’t every outfit; it was just sporadic. But I think we came up with a lot of really cool looks when we put our thoughts together.

When you said you would send images, what did you mean? Of specific items you noticed, or of internet looks you would come across?Looks, pieces, yes. It’s possible that when browsing my explore page, I’ll come across an ensemble worn by an unidentified soccer player. or something like that a tennis star wore, and I’m thinking, “Man, that looks cool.” After that, when I sent it to him, he would reply, “Yeah. Could you perhaps cuff the pants?” I would then respond, “Yeah. Perhaps I could swap out the shirt.” Put on a jean jacket or a similar item. We simply flipped it. But the appearance is unchanged.

There was a synergy between your on-court play and the looks that were coming together, according to Browne’s Instagram post. Was that anything you two discussed?It’s absurd that you say that. Yes, I do think of myself as a volatile player. A player who alternates between being showy and possibly conservative at times. As far as dressing goes, I believe it’s up to me to strike a balance between when to be flamboyant and when to be really simple, perhaps accessorizing with dazzling shoes.

Was there any rivalry among the squad members? I’m aware that Spencer Dinwiddie has his own shoe company, Caris LeVert always looks great, and DeMarre Carroll loves to dress up. Do you guys get competitive and try to outdo one other when it comes to fashion?No, not at all. I was just more of a man who liked to dress and appear nice. And that followed our achievement. Each person had a distinct taste. You appear nice. You’re a good player. It is accurate to say that.

LeBron versus Dwyane Wade and you and Kelly Oubre—new guard versus old guard—were the two sides of this intriguing pattern in the tournament. Do you think that after Wade and LeBron evolved the NBA style, Kelly and you are picking up the slack and going with it?Indeed, many of the league’s younger players mix up their appearances, while the older players seem to belong to a different period. I recall that when huge pants were trendy, you had to wear suits, large shirts, and large shorts to play in the league. So for it to just completely change with the new generation, I think that’s just kind of something we were born into and we know what we like versus something that’s trending. That was popular back then, so we kind of jumped right into that and were able to capitalize on it. Right now, though, something else is trendy.

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I want to go over the men in the bracket that you faced off against and ask you the standard NBA reporter questions. We may discuss what you observed before the game and your impression of their style. You faced off against DeAndre Jordan first.DeAndre is a swagger guy. particularly for a large man. Many of the items he wears are custom made. He’s a huge guy, therefore it’s not common for him to be that big and stylish. I admire his caps and long jackets. the booty appearance he adopted. Undoubtedly keeping up with his style.

James Harden.I am aware that James is one of those individuals who can purchase any item, or he certainly varies it up with overcoats, jogging suits, and other similar items. I also admire his swagger.

Kelly Oubre.Kelly has my respect. He exudes a rock star appearance, complete with jewelry and tight trousers. However, Kelly has always had swag. In high school, he was among the first guys in our class, I believe, to be seen wearing fitted Levi’s jeans with the bottom cuffs and the long socks with the Vans. Among the first guys I’ve seen do that is him.

LeBron was the last man.LeBron is one of those individuals who might occasionally hire a stylist. They put his pieces together in a way that allows him to add his own unique touch. For example, I could always tell when his stylist put something together and he said, “Let me wear my shoes with this suit.” Or, “Please let me put this cowboy hat on.” The cap with the Cam Newton style.” can make everyone laugh with a sweater or something like, so I admire his inventiveness.