Naomi Osaka treating the entrance tunnel at Grand Slams like it’s the red carpet at the Met Gala is nothing new. The four-time Slam winner has worn some very memorable outfits in years past, but her wardrobe choice at the 2026 US Open may take the crown as her most out-of-left-field to date.
Making her way onto the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday for her first-round match, the Japanese star wore a short-sleeved hoodie, red and black arm sleeves, and a full-length skirt. After eventually taking off her hood, she revealed she was wearing a black headband and had her hair done in cornrows.
It turns out that she was cosplaying as NBA legend and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson.
“It’s my, I guess, my tribute to Iverson. I really like him a lot,” Osaka said after her first-round victory. “I mean, Nike said basketball, so I said: ‘Okay, you want basketball, I’ll give you basketball.’”
Nike going with a basketball theme for some of its athletes at this year’s US Open in New York makes at least a bit of sense with the Knicks winning their first NBA title since 1973 back in June. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka wore an orange dress at the tournament, clearly paying homage to one of the Knicks’ colors.
Osaka tipping her cap to Iverson, however, makes absolutely zero sense for a plethora of different reasons.
For starters, Iverson never played for a New York franchise during his NBA career. He played collegiately at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and originally hails from the state of Virginia. Iverson spent the bulk of his career playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, a rival to the Knicks.
If you think Osaka is simply paying homage to one of the great Nike athletes of all time, well, you’d be wrong there, too.
Iverson was never a Nike athlete. After being selected by the 76ers first overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, Iverson inked an endorsement deal with Reebok. Iverson and Reebok went on to create an iconic signature shoe, and the 11-time All-Star later signed a lifetime endorsement deal with the brand.
Osaka deciding to pay tribute to Iverson during a Grand Slam in New York City is about as baffling as her designing and wearing an outfit inspired by a jellyfish in a children’s book, which is exactly what she did at this year’s Australian Open.
