Anthony Davis’s style is the first thing that stands noticed.

That was false, I apologize. His enormous unibrow is the obvious answer. However, the second aspect of the New Orleans Pelicans star forward that catches your eye? Not only does he slay your favorite team by scoring 40 points, but he also looks dashing as he rocks that feral eye hair with confidence and style. The NBA’s style wars are heating up, and while pre-game peacocking is as prevalent as bullshit officiating these days, we’d still say Davis is the one currently leading the pack.

Saks Fifth Avenue’s capsule collection is proof. Dwayne Wade, among most NBA stars, has tried to launch a clothing line that has been a complete bust. For real? — Davis and Saks’ collaboration is a knockout, featuring an elevated, dare we say it, intellectual, spin on athleisure. The 6’10” superstar admits, “It was quite tough for me to get clothes [that fit]”. I figured it would be a fantastic idea to sew my own garments.

Saks unveiled the Davis collection’s second season this month—it was that good of an idea, after all. Customers adore the athleisure bent and youthful attitude added to the [Saks Fifth Avenue] line by our unique capsule collections with Anthony,” says Louis Digiacomo, General Merchandise Manager, Men’s, Saks Fifth Avenue. Evidently, the big man is succeeding at something.

We spoke with Davis about the challenges of pregame attire, footwear, and being an innovator in brow style while he was in Toronto for the Saks season opener.

Was being a fashion person always your thing?

Just a little.  My time at the Olympics with Kobe, LeBron, and the rest of those guys probably set things off. When I first started working full-time after graduating from college, I wore nothing but sweatpants to dinner. On the other hand, everyone else was wearing these wild costumes and stuff!  That being said, they were quite critical of my attire. I realized I needed to pick it up a notch after that.

Is there a sense of expectation that every player in the NBA, particularly in recent years, must elevate their pre-game style?

In that split second between getting off the bus and entering the locker room, I believe there is. Everyone is filming you at this point: the NBA photographers, your teammates, Snapchat, Instagram, and more. Well, it’s not exactly a mountain to climb. Whether on the bus or in the locker room, many NBA players pay attention to what they wear. Of course, there are some who couldn’t care less. Men argue about their clothing choices. Every member of my team is well-informed about everything: what it is, how much it costs, when it was released, and so on. I think it’s getting serious now that guys have to spend the night before to pick out their outfit.

Ha, so much thought goes into it! Tell me, what is the secret is to nailing the tunnel walk?

Uh… there’s really no secret.  I mean, just walk! It’s not that long! A lot of players are probably not confident with what they’re wearing or just have sweats on, so they sort of walk behind players who are more dressed up. (Laughs). But, I mean, there’s really nothing to it. It’s a simple walk. I haven’t seen anyone really show their stuff off yet, like point to it or something like that. Just be yourself, be normal, walk. It’s going to get talked about regardless. That’s the cool thing about it: you don’t really have to show off what you’re wearing. You just walk and be you and people are going to talk about it.

How do you go about choosing the right pre-game outfit? What’s your process?

I always start with the shoes. I think about what shoes I want to wear, whether it be red bottoms or Balenciaga or whatever. Or even sneakers — I wear sneakers a lot, too. And it goes from there. The jeans are very easy, the shirts come into play next. But, for me, to start off, it’s got to be the shoes.

What shoes are you into right now?

I’m a big sneakerhead. I can’t really wear everything, but I love all the Jordans, all the Nikes. I’m a big time red bottom guy for some reason. I love them. So I’ve got almost every pair of those.  I mean, that’s really it, other than Balenciagas, of course. Lots of other stuff either doesn’t come in my size or I can’t wear them.

Speaking of size, I know you experienced a huge growth spurt in high school. Obviously, that was great for your basketball career, but what kind of impact did it have on your everyday life?

I was ducking a lot more. My bed was too small. The biggest thing for me, though, was the clothes, honestly. My mom and my dad were buying me new shirts, shoes, all of that, like every couple weeks because I would just grow out of it. So now they always bring it up, like, ‘All that money I spent on you and the clothes! Can I get five dollars?’ (Laughs.) They would just constantly be buying clothes for me. Especially the pants. The pants were just always short, so they were buying pants a lot.

Do you still have trouble finding suits that fit?

No. I have someone who makes suits for me, just because I don’t want to deal with all that.  There’s nothing I can buy off the rack, honestly. If I’m going to the store and I see a suit I like, I’m going to have to get it tailored. And I’d rather do something funky with it if I’m going to get it tailored anyway. So I never go in the store and buy anything off the rack. A t-shirt or short sleeve is fine, but if it’s anything long-sleeved or it’s jeans, it’s going to be tough.

You’ve obviously received lots of attention over the years about your brow. Well nowadays, when you look at fashion blogs and stuff, thick bushy brows are all the rage! How does it feel to have been ahead of the curve?

I didn’t even know that was like… that’s a thing now?

It is! It’s a thing. You know, brows on fleek.

Then I suppose I was the one who started it! The best part is that not even I received full credit! That was news to me. I will be eternally grateful if it all began with me. That’s simply my character, dude. Personally, I am unconcerned. I suppose I was just ahead of my time, though. I could have protected it financially by copyrighting or trademarking it. That being said, it is very cool. Yeah, that’s really sick.