LAS VEGAS – Tre Mann was one of several Charlotte Hornets sitting courtside in July to support the team's Summer League squad. He entered UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center on Friday night in one of his ‘signature' looks.
Mann's USA Basketball ‘Dream Team' jersey stands out first. Everything from the mesh itself to Charles Barkley's last name across the back is golden. A baggy, white, short-sleeved t-shirt that looks fresh out of the pack is underneath it. The 24-year-old guard's bright blue Marithé & François Girbaud jean shorts, identifiable by the leg bands around the leg openings, cut off below his knees.
On his feet, Mann has on all-white Reebok Club C 85's. The gum outsoles complement the gold tones of his outfit, including the 48″ chain hanging low enough to touch the '14' on the front of the jersey. His crisp white 3/4 crew socks are fashionably scrunched down. His hair is in twists with black beads that fall over a white terry cloth sweatband.
Mann, a 2021 first-round pick, is heading into his fifth year in the NBA. He's found a home in Charlotte. The guard signed a three-year contract extension with the Hornets this summer.
Last year was Mann's first full season in Charlotte. He was on track for a career year, but his season ended after just 13 games because of a herniated disc in his back. He was averaging 14.1 points and 3.0 assists, while making 40.0% of his 3-pointers, in less than 25 minutes per game.
Despite the injury, Mann continued showing up to support his teammates, and fans began to take notice of his fashion choices. Mann's game day outfits consisted of oversized graphic t-shirts, baggy sweatpants or jean shorts, vintage jerseys ranging from players like Michael Jordan to Priest Holmes, and countless other pulls from the days of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
How teammates, family, and Instagram inspired Mann's ‘throwback' style
Mann's style has drawn comparisons to Allen Iverson's from his all-time influential tenure as a Philadelphia 76er. Fan-favorite Instagram account ‘LeagueFits' claimed at the beginning of the 2023-24 season that Mann would “be the best-dressed dude on like half of the league’s teams.” His status as one of the NBA's best-dressed is seemingly cemented.
It was back during Mann's time with the Oklahoma City Thunder that he first wore intentionally oversized team-issued clothing to practice. At some point, it crossed the plane from running bit to a method of self-expression. Mann says that the original catalyst for the bit was seeing certain outfits of NBA past.
“It really started with the jersey,” Mann told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview at NBA Summer League. “I saw a picture on Instagram of Tracy McGrady, and he had the big shorts on. It just looked dope.”
The foundation, however, was set decades ago. McGrady's jersey may have caught Mann's eye in the first place because he spent his childhood learning about NBA history from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“It was really, like, growing up with my dad,” Mann recalled. “Being around my dad all the time, this is what he wore.”
Mann wasn't always in love with his father's style. He, like many children, was embarrassed by his father's clothing choices before he admired them. Mann says he wasn't afraid to make those feelings known.
“I used to make fun of my dad all the time,” Mann struggled to say with a straight face. “The stuff he used to wear… But then, I’m seeing all these posts. And I'm like, ‘damn, that’s what he was wearing!’”
Hornets guard on ‘different' style, signing with Reebok
Mann has worn mostly Nike sneakers on the court in his career thus far. He wore the Nike ‘Book 1' in the last 11 games he played in the 2025 season. The ‘old school style' made the shoe Mann's ‘favorite' at the time.
In the first two games of last year, though, Mann played in the ‘Reebok Answer IV.' The shoes first released in 2001, the year ‘The Answer' won MVP and led the 76ers to a Finals berth. Iverson was wearing them for his infamous ‘step-over' on Tyronn Lue. The appeal for someone as dedicated to the times as Mann is clear.
Going into next season, fans can expect to see more of Mann in Iverson's line. He'll be wearing Reebok basketball sneakers exclusively on the court.
Mann isn't afraid to be different. The 25-year-old relishes opportunities to live life just how he'd like, regardless of what others think. On TikTok, he entered his name as “Mr.BringSwagBack.” This is part of who he is. Mann told ClutchPoints that signing with Reebok was another chance to be himself.
“For me personally, I want to build something,” Mann declared. “Like, Reebok was popping back then,” in reference to the days of Big L and Master P topping charts, “but recently nobody’s really been wearing Reebok as much. So I wanted to do something that everybody else not doing.”
Mann isn't the only up-and-coming athlete to have recently signed with the footwear and clothing brand. After Shaquille O'Neal was named the President of Reebok Basketball in 2023, they've also signed Angel Reese, DiJonai Carrington, Matas Buzelis, and Dink Pate to sponsorship deals. Mann thinks his contemporaries signed with similar motivations to his own.
“I feel like Angel, and Dink, everybody else who's with Reebok wanted to do something different,” he claimed. “To build it back up. So, same with me.”
