The NBA's geek-chic craze: What's with the nerdy glasses?

Post-game news conferences have turned into veritable fashion shows, and the hottest accoutrement are oversized, Urkel-esque specs

Flaunting a curiously cool bespectacled style, Oklahoma City Thunder all-stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant speak to the press Thursday.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat are in the midst of a nail-biting best-of-seven NBA championship series that is all tied up at a game a piece. But the near-superhuman acrobatics on the court aren't dominating all the headlines. Indeed, stars from both basketball teams are attracting nearly as much attention for the sartorial flair they've exhibited at post-game news conferences. By far the most conspicuous accessories — worn by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, as well as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant of the Thunder — are thick-rimmed, oversized glasses that would make the cast of The Revenge of the Nerds blush. Prescriptions, and even lenses, are optional ("I see better without them," Westbrook admitted), confirming that the glasses are part of a geek-chic trend that has seen NBA players wearing schoolboy backpacks, cardigans, and plaid socks. Here, a guide to the NBA's new obsession with nerdy glasses:

Who started this bizarre trend?

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