As the LeagueFits instagram account reminds us daily, NBA players are among the most fashion-forward people in the world.

The league and its players have fully embraced pre-game fit checks as an opportunity for self-expression and trend-setting, and a world of endorsement deals, increased popularity in the sport and individual players have come with it.

Elevated street style reigns supreme in the day-to-day, but every year we get a glimpse at how formal wear is evolving via the NBA draft.

With the 2024 iteration set for Wednesday and Thursday, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the greatest draft-day suits of all time.

We learned along the way that none of this would have been possible without a few controversial trailblazers.

Let's pay some long overdue respect to them and look ahead to the future of NBA fashion with our All-Time NBA Draft Style Rankings.

10. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 2019

The Snakeskin is one thing, and frankly it's a bit played out in 2024, but it was fun and trending in 2019.

Where our first Alexander cousin of the rankings gets credit, though, is in the details. This Western Bolo tie is equal parts unique and fitting, and the matching shoes (no socks, though) really sold me on the delivery of the snakeskin.

It's one of the most important fashion pillars: If you're on the fence about a bold print, don't even bother. Commit. To. The. Bit.

9. Jalen Green, 2021

Jalen Green brings us to our next fashion pillar: When in doubt, big top, small pants or small top, big pants.

Green opted for big top, small, flare pants in a sparkly, pinstripe ensemble. In theory, this has too much going on. In practice, it works shockingly well.

Perhaps it's the flare pants and pinstripes giving us an old-school feel, mixed with the aforementioned new-school sparkle and chain.

It's balanced chaos.

8. Scottie Barnes, 2021

A turtleneck isn't always it, but when it comes to a white-and-silver look, the right turtleneck can really pull things together.

It was a great canvas, here, for Scottie Barnes' patterned Dolce & Gabbana suit.

Not to be weird, but it was awesome to make the braces feel like a chic accessory that perfectly matches his other silver accents like the statement brooch.

7. Samaki Walker, 1996

I'll never not obsess over this Samaki Walker 1996 draft look.

Not only did he top the off-white ensemble off with a hat (rare at the NBA draft), but he also got drafted to Dallas while looking fit for an upscale rodeo.

What else could you possibly want from your draft pick, especially in the mid-1990s?

6. Tim Thomas, 1997

Two white, oversized suits from more than 20 years ago did make these rankings. I considered condensing these selections, or just opting for the relevance of the 2003 draft and calling it a day.

It feels more important to point out how these men shaped the NBA into a trendsetting league in the context of where we are with suit trends today.

The fashion world at large is having a throwback moment, and it's too easy to assume all of the loose fits of this current moment are inspired by the mainstream culture of the '90s and early 2000s.

Rather, it was an NBA counterculture that forced itself on the mainstream and wasn't as popular until these players showed out in their respective drafts in these fits.

So let's give props to Tim Thomas' 1997 suit after years of criticism. Walk around New York City for an hour these days, and you'll see tons of unisex streetwear inspired by this exact look, even if the people wearing it are unaware of that.

5. Kelly Oubre, 2015

Who could forget Kelly Oubre's 2015 draft outfit, featuring a spiked tie and one-of-a-kind spiked shoes?

The Christian Louboutin red-bottomed loafers might be the most iconic draft shoe of all, and the satin red suit itself was not too shabby.

You know a pair of shoes are good when the wearer describes them as "extraterrestrial."

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2018

Sometimes it's simple. Sometimes, a pattern and a color scheme are gorgeous enough to carry a suit without quirky tailoring or obscure pieces doing the work.

Well, I wouldn't quite call the intricacies of this flowing, floral moment "simple," but the idea is and that's why it's such a stunner.

Popular NBA stylist and designer Jhoanna Alba is no stranger to a masterpiece, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 2018 draft suit remains one of her best.

3. Bol Bol, 2019

It doesn't get cooler than rolling up to the draft in a custom suit made by Young Thug's brand, "Spider," and some extremely rare MoMa x Off-White Air Force 1s.

The draft-day outfit was an apt introduction to Bol Bol's unique, ahead-of-the-trend style. He was voted best dressed by his Phoenix Suns teammates for a reason.

It's one thing to have the means to acquire rare pieces, it's another to know which ones to get.

2. LeBron James, 2003

Imagine heading into the draft as the most hyped prospect in NBA history, already signed to a $90 million endorsement deal with Nike?

This was LeBron James' reality as he was tasked with picking a fit for the 2003 draft in New York.

He went with this all-white, oversized but cleanly tailored number that (for better or worse) is now etched in NBA history. It's been highly clowned on, meme'd and criticized over the years.

"I just think I look pretty good in all white," he told the Associated Press at the time.

The 2003 draft was full of loose looks like this, and Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh immediately come to mind. But let's avoid revisionist history: This wasn't yet a mainstream trend. This draft class willed it into trend.

Anthony's stylist, Khalilah Beavers, spoke to Bleacher Report in 2018 about the phenomenon. "Where they came from, nobody wore tight clothes, everything was baggy," she told Bleacher Report in 2018. "It was a learning process for everybody, there was a curve. It may have looked good at the time, because that's what they knew. The NBA player until now has never been a forward guy."

Regardless, LeBron's suit in paricular has popped up in plenty of pop-culture references over the span of his 20-year career, including Nike's "Draft Day" LeBron 16 Lows released in 2019.

You don't have to be a fan of the oversized suit look to respect the boldness of the choice and the precision of the tailoring. Plus, relaxed silhouettes and wide-legged trousers have returned to the trend cycle in a big way this year, so it's safe to say this aged well.

We understand the NBA today as an innovative, fashion-forward league, and perhaps it doesn't get there without the pants swallowing the shoes in every 2003 draft picture.

1. Jalen Rose, 1994

Jalen Rose's draft-day outfit is widely regarded as the WOAT, but this discussion has always felt inauthentic to me.

If I think about this outfit for too long, it usually sends me into an existential crisis about what style really is, and what it means to me.

Why do I love so many of the old 'fits that have been the most criticized? Am I trying to be contrarian, am I a sucker for novelty or do I love drama? Maybe, like most truly bold fashion shifts, folks at the time just weren't used to the fits some of these guys were throwing?

The answer to all of those questions is "Yes," but I genuinely do think this suit aged well while remaining novel and interesting. The beauty of fashion is in its subjectivity, but a great fit is self-expressive, enduring and often a little risky.

Rose said he wore the bright red because he thought he was going to the Clippers, which only makes me appreciate the risk more.

He had been pushing the envelope since his time with the Fab Five in Michigan, and his love of fashion remained throughout his career and now as a member of the media.

Style is about confidence and telling a story. Yeah, maybe that's why I love Rose and all of his looks. I'll leave you with this Q&A from his interview with GQ in 2020:

"Scale of one to ten, how confident were you when you wore that suit?

"100! I'm from Detroit. You heard Biggie say, 'Pink gators, my Detroit players.' We don't get dressed. We wear outfits, OK? Just so everybody knows, I had two suits. It wasn't like these guys now that have budgets. I had cubic zirconias. I had fake diamonds. I had a red and white suit. The second suit that I had was lime green with green gators. That morning, I was going to decide which one I was going to wear."

Rose wore the higher-drafting team's colors with confidence because he thought he'd end up there. He has fully owned that story ever since.