Great Outfits in Fashion History: Beyoncé's 2001 Homage to the NBA

The Citizen

2 years ago

Photos: Ezra O. Shaw/Allsport/Getty Images/Pixabay; Artwork: Brooke Frischer/Fashionista

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In ‘Great Outfits in Fashion History,’ Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

Beyoncé‘s dedication to best-dressed moments and history-making performances has been present since the very beginning of her career. (For her debut on the TV singing competition “Star Search,” she wore an eye-catching neon lime green shirt dress. She was 12.) She’s also historically matched her look to the event she’s participating in — weather that’s representing British designers on stage at the London leg of the “Renaissance” tour in 2023 or putting her own spin on basketball merch to sing as part of Destiny Child at the NBA Finals in 2001.

For the latter, Beyoncé dressed in a white mini dress, accompanied by dramatic hip cutouts and matching bike shorts underneath, with the letters “NBA” stretched across in glittering, varsity-style letters. Down the center of the dress, a 76ers patch sat above a slightly bigger Lakers patch.

While Beyoncé showed her support for both competitors, her groupmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams opted to represent only the 76ers and Lakers, respectively, resulting in mass boos from the Philadelphia crowd (mainly in response to Williams’ Lakers gear). It became a whole thing.

Despite the displeased crowd, Beyoncé’s perfectly stylish look (which was neutral) lives on in basketball-fashion history. In fact, 15 years later, Beyoncé returned to Philidelphia and earned 76ers fans’ respect back when she referenced the debacle onstage, this time while wearing a bright, sparkling red dress with one word written across it: “Sixers.”