Naomi Osaka Honors Allen Iverson at the US Open

Naomi Osaka has always treated the walk to Arthur Ashe Stadium like a runway. On Monday night at the 2026 US Open, she turned it into something closer to a tribute stage.

The four-time Grand Slam champion stepped out for her first-round match in an outfit that instantly stopped the chatter in the tunnel: a short-sleeved hoodie, red and black arm sleeves, and a full-length skirt sweeping down to her shoes. When she finally pulled back the hood, the look clicked into place — black headband, hair in cornrows, attitude to match.

Osaka wasn’t just dressed for New York. She was dressed as Allen Iverson.

“It’s my, I guess, my tribute to Iverson. I really like him a lot,” she said after winning her opener. “I mean, Nike said basketball, so I said: ‘Okay, you want basketball, I’ll give you basketball.’”

Nike has leaned into a basketball theme for some of its athletes at this year’s US Open, a nod that lands easily enough in a city still buzzing from the Knicks’ first NBA title since 1973. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has been wearing an orange dress in Queens, a clear wink toward one of the Knicks’ signature colors and Madison Square Garden’s long-suffering, now-celebrating fan base.

Osaka’s choice, though, cuts across that narrative. While the tournament setting screams New York, her inspiration comes from a guard who never belonged to the city’s franchises.

Iverson never played for the Knicks or any New York team. His story runs through Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and back to his roots in Virginia. His prime years unfolded in Philadelphia, where he became the face of the 76ers and a constant thorn in the side of Knicks fans. If this were about local ties, Osaka’s homage would miss the mark completely.

It also doesn’t line up with the obvious corporate storyline. For all his impact on culture and the modern NBA, Iverson was never part of Nike’s basketball pantheon. When the 76ers made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, he signed with Reebok, not Nike. From there, he and Reebok built one of the sport’s most recognizable signature shoe lines, a partnership that eventually turned into a lifetime endorsement deal.

So Osaka, a Nike athlete, walked into the US Open dressed as a Reebok icon, in a city celebrating the Knicks, while channeling the most Philadelphia of superstars.

On paper, it makes no sense. On court, in a sport where Osaka has never been afraid to cross streams between culture, fashion, and competition, it fits her perfectly.