Tyson Chandler: Baller, Gentleman, Artist? All Of The Above!

You were 15 and you were seven feet tall. Back then, did you think it would be easier to find clothing once you made it to the NBA?

Yeah, I did. I thought once I got the money I would be able to find clothes, buy clothes, and have people make clothes for me. Now, I really understand that fashion is very difficult and it is very tough to find a person who knows your vision and what you’re looking for. There is really nothing ready-to-wear for a big guy who is really fashionable and fashion forward. It took a long time for me to get to where I am at now. I am not a fashion icon now or anything, but I just want to get to a point where I am comfortable with myself within my fashion.

Whose style or fashion do you admire in the NBA?

In the NBA? Oh, that is a tough one! I wouldn’t say I admire anybody’s fashion or style in the NBA. In all honesty, in other sports, Beckham: I love the way he dresses. I think Tom Brady really identifies himself with his fashion. [He wears things] that look like Tom Brady. When you see him do a press conference, you think, 'That is exactly what he is supposed to look like.' Even off the field, when he has his little rugged look. Those are two of the guys I think do a great job of selling themselves with their fashion in sports.

Where do you think your love of fashion came from? Was it because of the absence of clothes for yourself?

It definitely could be the absence of clothes. When I was younger... you could only get what you can afford, and everything was short. Everything was, pretty much, hand-me-downs, so I was essentially just being somebody else because I was wearing my bigger cousin’s clothes. Everything that I could afford, it wouldn’t be something that I would wear if I could afford something better. I guess it's just my artistic side. Fashion is art and expression. When you put something on you are a billboard of yourself, it is a canvas that you create.

Above: Tyson in the lobby of Joseph Abboud showroom.