There are so many male athletes attending New York Men's Fashion Week they could practically start their own team

By Fusion Staff | July 16, 2015 | 2:12pm

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Is it New York Men’s Fashion Week or a pickup basketball game? Glance at the front row of runway shows like Public School, Rag & Bone, and Ovadia and Sons — you can’t really tell the difference.

Yes, that thing where professional athletes take an intense interest in fashion is happening again this week, and with so many in attendance, the fashion industry essentially has a glorified intramural team on its hands.

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With Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade teaching male models to dunk after the Public School show — while wearing questionable houndstooth shorts and a fedora — he would be the obvious shooting guard.

Then R.Kelly — yes, that R. Kelly — who was seated next to D.Wade at Ovadia & Sons, could swoop in with that ill half-court jumpshot for a hail Mary. Lest we forget, the rather unconscionable (albeit gifted) R&B singer is actually a skilled baller, once signing with the USBL league in 1997.

Our power forward would, of course, be none other than Amar’e Stoudemire, who — in his luxe sweatsuit and ubiquitous Django Unchained chapeau — also moonlights as a fashion journalist for Esquire. Because obviously I would love to know his opinions on Public School’s Dao Yi Chow and Maxwell Osbourne creative directing DKNY… wait, no I wouldn’t. I rely on the New York Times‘ Vanessa Friedman for that.

NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala could sub-in for Wade, the handsome shooting guard shrugging out of his expertly-tailored suiting for a team jersey that, in this scenario, would most likely be designed by Alexander Wang.

In fact, there’s no dearth of shooting guards to choose from, seeing as the Los Angeles Lakers’ own Nick Young — a.k.a. “Swaggy P” — touched down in really expensive sweats to take in the John Elliott show. We were relieved to discover Iggy wasn’t by his side, but New York Giants player Victor Cruz was.

Cruz’s three-pointer is debatable, but the chiseled wide receiver is quickly becoming the poster child of the menswear league.

He’s now the face of Givenchy’s Fall 2015 collection and a regular in the fashion circuit. Here’s to another Super Bowl ring to set that Givenchy pinstripe suit off nicely.

Meanwhile, our small forward Rudy Gay is filling our fantasy fashion basketball league — and those pants — quite nicely.

It’s unclear whether British Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton — and his new faux hawk — have skills on the court, but we’ll draft him nonetheless. Despite his size (he’s only 5’9″, as obviously seen above) maybe he can hold his own.

Marjon Carlos is a style and culture writer for Fusion who boasts a strong turtleneck game and opinions on the subjects of fashion, gender, race, pop culture, and men’s footwear.