Introducing The GQ Sports Style Hall of Fame

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Deion Sanders, Allen Iverson, and Derek Jeter are our first trio of inductees into a whole new kind of Hall.

I'm thrilled to announce the opening of a very special new club here at Gentlemen's Quarterly: The GQ Sports Style Hall of Fame.

Before I show you around, I want to take you on a trip back to Atlanta in 1992.…

In October of that year, when Deion Sanders suited up for both the Falcons and the Braves on the same day, taking two limos, two helicopters, and a private jet between Miami and Pittsburgh to make it all happen, I was an 11-year-old Little Leaguer living in the A.

Obviously, Neon Deion was a superhero.

The way he could take over a game from the cornerback position (with a few punt returns thrown in) defied the fundamental logic and spatial layout of the game of football.

Equally inspired was the way he freaked his uniform, from the creative innovation of his sweatband placement, to the towel he dangled from the front of his belt, to the bandana that would remain his signature between the hash marks.

Meanwhile on the baseball diamond, he weaponized his blazing speed to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples—his gold chain bobbing out of his jersey as he transformed himself into a Road Runner–like blur. To me, the act was no less immortal.

Yet even in his two-sport heyday, Prime Time never made it to the prime real estate of the cover of GQ.

Maybe Sanders—a guy who hobnobbed on the sidelines with MC Hammer in the “2 Legit 2 Quit” era of the Falcons, and famously drew a dollar sign in the dirt of the batter’s box—was just way too far ahead of his time culturally.

All I can say is that the current editorial team wasn’t going to let the omission slide. Deion Sanders—one of humankind’s most swaggerific sportsmen—being foreveroverlooked by GQ? No way.

Which is why I’m thrilled to announce this major new program that enables us to rectify the historical head-scratchers of the past and bring the cultural planets back into their rightful alignment.

We are kicking off our new Style Hall with three covers that feature a trio of the coolest athletes of all time: Allen Iverson, Derek Jeter, and the man we now know as Coach Prime.

To further mark the moment, we are also throwing a big ol’ event on Saturday, February 11 (yep, that’s the day before the Super Bowl), in Scottsdale, Arizona, where we’ll be interviewing all three cover stars in person onstage—and inducting them into our new Style Hall of Fame. Buy yourself a ticket and you can be there to celebrate with us too.
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Coat, $995, by Adrienne Landau. Turtleneck, $1,495, by Brioni. Pants, $670, by Etro. Sunglasses, $650, by Gucci.
Deion Sanders covers the February 2023 issue of GQ
 

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This issue also marks Allen Iverson’s overdue debut on the cover of GQ. Incredible, given what we now take for granted: that A.I. brought culture itself to the forefront of the NBA, simply through his style. He went chain for chain with Puff and Biggie. He invented the tunnel fit. He provoked the infamous NBA dress code. And he inspired a generation of young men to emulate his every look and move—on and off the court.

What can we say: When we get a chance to make it right, we make it all the way right. Mr. Iverson, it is an honor to give you the cover you have long deserved.
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Coat, $12,200, and turtleneck, $1,950, by Prada. His own hat by One Fresh Hat. Jewelry, his own.
Allen Iverson covers the February 2023 issue of GQ.
 

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Speaking of deserving, Derek Jeter had GQcovers in 1998, 2000, and 2011. Which makes sense given that Jeter’s embodiment of turn-of-the-century NYC adhered to the ideals of the magazine in those eras. The playboy. The professional. The winner. Still: Once every decade for four decades puts him in the rare company of our Damons and Denzels. That’s Jeter to a tee—a suave Hollywood megastar who just happened to wear pinstripes.

In the coming months and years, we will continue to add new inductees into the SHOF until we have created the sexiest and most coveted Hall of Fame on the planet.

As we begin to expand the Hall, I know one person who will be keeping tabs.

In a video posted to his own IG last year, Coach Prime lamented the standards of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “The Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye. “It’s people that changed the game. That’s what the Hall of Fame is, a game changer. A game changer. Not ‘I played good, I had a good little run, I gave you three or four good years.’ No, dawg. Game changers. Put my head where my head supposed to be.”

This time around, Coach, mark my words. Everything is in its rightful place.

I hope to see you all at the event in Arizona.

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Coat, $8,995, shirt, $450, and tie, $235, by Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Watch, $11,800, by Omega. Bracelet and ring, his own.
Derek Jeter covers the February 2023 issue of GQ.
 

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AI and Sanders both changed the game,on and off the field and both the NBA and NFL been trying to keep stars like them ever since.

Super star athlete ...it's what made people watch.
 

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Deion Sanders, Allen Iverson & Derek Jeter: GQ Hall of Fame Opulence 2/11/23
 
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