Barack Obama Wore a Killer Leather Jacket to the NBA Finals
Last Thursday, during the opening game of the NBA Finals, Drake showed up courtside in a signed Dell Curry Raptors jersey that he had driven to him in Toronto overnight by a Brooklyn-based vintage dealer. No matter what you think of the rest of his trash-talking, head-coach-massaging antics throughout the playoffs, you gotta admit: that’s an A+ troll job. Drake tried to fire off more sartorial subliminals at last night’s Game 2—only to get completely out-flexed and overshadowed in his own home arena by some guy named Barry.
During a visit with the Warriors back in January, former president Barack Obama promised the reigning NBA champs that he’d be at one of their games if they made it back to the Finals. Like all good dads, Obama made good on that promise last night—strutting into Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena alongside Raptors president Masai Ujiri and glad-handing Drake before taking a seat in the stands next to NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The Toronto faithful were plenty fired up as it was during a Raps-heavy first half, but they saved some extra sauce for Obama, who easily beat out hometown boys Drake and Shawn Mendes for the loudest Jumbotron roar of the evening. (Bringing up the rear: Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, who had a Beto pin on his denim jacket.)
One small part of why they were so excited to see him: the guy looked damn good. After making Fashion Twitter waves in a ‘44’-monogrammed bomber jacket at a Duke-UNC game in February, Obama kept his outerwear hot streak alive with a slick, sharp, all-black leather jacket. This wasn’t a Danny Zuko greaser situation or a blousy Tony Soprano joint. Instead, it gave off more of a ‘70s Hollywood vibe—like Redford on a night out or Han Solo piloting the Falcon—which fits Obama’s swaggering post-presidential mood. And, as it happens, Obama knows he looks great in this jacket: he owns the exact same one in brown, which he debuted shortly after leaving the Oval Office back in 2017.
All in all, Obama’s Game 2 look follows a basic menswear formula we’ve endorsed forever: find a standout piece that works for you, buy it in multiples, and then surround it with simple, unimpeachable staples. (In the president’s case, he kept things clean with a trim black button-up, gray jeans, and a good pair of Chelsea boots.) It’s proof that as long as your clothes fit your body and your overall vibe to a tee, even the most basic fit can outshine a meticulously planned, expensively acquired ensemble. We’re betting Drake is glad Obama won’t be back in Toronto for Game 5.
DMTBeautySpot
via DMT.NEWS, Yang-Yi Goh, Khareem Sudlow
