There are certainly NBA stars more well-versed in the art of fashion, but when it comes to haircuts, no one has been more influential this season than Jimmy Butler. His signature fade—a sort of messier, modern version of a flat-top—has been spotted on everyone from Anthony Davis to Nick Young to even Jimmy’s own teammate Derrick Rose. We’re not sure what it is about the look that makes it so enviable (maybe it’s the fact that Butler got a max contract in the offseason) but, hey, we dig it. — Jake Woolf
If you’ve ever played basketball—or really just exercised even once—you know that the whole thing can get pretty sweaty in a hurry. This is at the very simple core of why no one looks like their absolute best leaving the gym. (Unless they’re Beyoncé, but that’s more a case of her looking her best at all times.) And yet, Utah Jazz guard Gordon Hayward seems to have discovered some Beyoncé-like hair serum that allows his perfectly-parted ‘do to look as fresh in double-overtime as it does at tipoff. (Read our full interview with him here.) We missed our chance once to ask him what kind of hair product he uses, but we’ll never make that mistake again, Gordon. So, tell us, what is it? Wax? Mousse? Gel? Super glue? We have to know. — Jake Woolf
Growing out one’s hair is one of the most trying things a man can do. You know that at the end of the process, you’ll have a flowing mane of hair that ladies will love. But man, oh man are there a few awkward months in between “short hair” and “long hair,” where even the handsomest dudes look like 7th graders. Well, thanks to some crafty headband work, it seems like Kevin Love has fully embraced his awkward “growing out” phase and made it work. And in no time he’ll have some pretty sweet lettuce to show off. — Jake Woolf
Bowl cuts. Dragon Ball spikes. An itty-bitty manbun. We talked to Jeremy Lin about his grand hair experiment. — Chris Gayomali
So Iman Shumpert isn’t the first guy in the NBA to rock a flat top, but over the years it's become increasingly clear that Shump is the dopest one to ever do it. What makes his hair remarkable is it somehow manages to defy gravity while maintaining such a precise degree of perpendicularity that we can’t help but wonder how it stays up. Are there wires inside, like a droopy tomato plant? Is Shump’s flat top actually a very convincing hat? Structural integrity like this deserves its own statue. — Chris Gayomali
There’s a report floating around that claims Kawhi Leonard is the only player left rocking cornrows. Which, for a particular genus of NBA nerd who grew up with Iverson posters on their bedroom walls, is a very deflating kind of bummer. But whereas A.I.’s cornrows zigged and zagged—a metaphorical expression of his tiny on-court brilliance—Kawhi’s cornrows are subdued, pulled straight back and a little messy. One way to read it is that Kawhi’s hair is a function of practicality: The dude simply seems like the kind of gym rat who can’t be bothered to get a haircut every week. It’s perfect for a mumbly basketball cyborg like Kawhi. “Oh wow” is right. — Chris Gayomali
Clearly we at GQ love us some good facial hair. We love beards and the occasional mustache, but the goatee is something we usually have a really hard time getting down with. But if you must have one, at the very least put the extra effort in to make it look like you aren’t trying so hard to have a goatee. (Which, hey, might itself be an impossible thing to do with a facial hair style that still requires you to shave most of your face.) And yet, Klay Thompson, a noted very, very good basketball player, insists on having the sharpest Sharpie-like goatee in the league. And to that, we ask: Are you really out here using one of those bizarro edge-up tools? — Jake Woolf
I love everything about Elfrid Payton. He's one of those old-school, classic point guards except he was born in 1994. The only downside of Elfrid Payton's hair is he probably has to buy really large hats. — Chris Gayomali
For years, D-Will was quite possibly the best point guard alive, but his hair was awful, a symptom of creeping male-pattern baldness. It had flimsy waves so pronounced his head looked like a ramen packet. D-Will’s hair was less “Brooklyn” and more “Let’s hit up Meatpacking in a going-out shirt on Friday night.” Thankfully, that finally—finally!—changed this season, when Deron shaved his head and grew out a grizzled beard. Now he looks like the kind of guy who brews his own beer and invites you to underground jazz shows but doesn't act all annoying about it. — Chris Gayomali
Ricky Rubio’s hair gets an award for being the hair of the white dude who sits next to you at work. And the guy you saw in line to get your lunch salad. And the three dudes you say at that thing, not that one time, but every single time you’ve ever done said thing. Sometimes, maybe the best way to stand out is to blend in. — Jake Woolf
Has anyone else in the NBA undergone such a badass transformation? We asked the Oklahoma City Thunder center all about his hair-growing secrets, and he shared an unlikely inspiration: Magnum P.I. — Jake Woolf
Dirk caught a lot of shit for changing up his look this season. But we think his hair looks fine! — Chris Gayomali
Not only is getting samesies haircuts with your bud a tactical advantage on the court (who's that in the corner of my eye?!), but it's also an affirmation of one of the most beautiful things in the world: friendship. — Chris Gayomali
Look, we all know Kristaps is the prototypical center of the future—a three-bombing, seven-footer who gobbles up shot attempts on D. Kristaps is incredible because he tries. And when he finally grows out the boyish buzzcut? Like Dirk and Love before him, all we can say is, Perennial MVP Candidate. — Chris Gayomali
