<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"From a rented tux for high school prom to closets full of Burberry and Gucci (not mention a championship NBA trophy), life as Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers is pretty sweet. Midway into the playoffs, the team Mario has been hooping for since 2008 is already the odds-on favorite to take the title for a second year in a row. (It doesn't hurt that they have four-time MVP LeBron James leading their all-star lineup.) But let's be honest: The game of basketball is about a lot more than net these days. For starters, there's the red carpet-like fanfare surrounding what players wear to each and every game (with the playoffs being the NBA's answer to the Oscars). Good luck naming a player\u2014other than Russell Westbrook, god bless him\u2014who doesn't have a stylist these days. So how does the pressure to look good affect off-the-court style, and what else goes down when the shot clock stops? We got Mario Chalmers to go on the record about life in the NBA fast lane.\n\nHow do you feel about all the attention being paid to NBA players' style this season?\n\n It's cool. Everybody's just trying to do their own thing but stick within the guidelines of the dress code. We know there's an extra spotlight on us, so we try to play the part and give people different looks.\n\nHow would you describe your style?\n\n It's more laidback\u2014not too dressy, but not too casual. I have a stylist I work with during the season. I get some things custom made, and I also have certain designers I like to wear, like Gucci, Burberry, and Guiseppe Zanotti. We tend to dress up a little more during the playoffs than the regular season. Some people step it up as the series goes on, but I pretty much stay the same. I might throw on a suit here or there, but I've mostly been wearing a lot of jackets with hoods and a lot of vests.\n\nAre you putting more time and thought into what you wear this season compared to, say, two years ago?\n\n Yeah, definitely. There's so such attention to style, and everyone wants to look their best. My style is more polished than it used to be, and I take more risks now. Back in high school, it was all baggy clothes and jerseys.\n\nYour teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have gotten a lot of attention for what they wear. What do you think of the way they dress?\n\n LeBron's style is pretty laidback\u2014similar to mine. He doesn't dress up too much. But, you know, D. Wade's style is a little bit different. You can give him anything, and he'll pretty much wear it.\n\nWould you ever swap clothes with him?\n\n Nah! I can't do that. It's too much for me.\n\nWho do you think has the best style in the NBA?\n\n I think we're definitely one of the best-dressed teams.\n\nWhat do you like to see female fans wear to games?\n\n At a game, it really doesn't matter. But on a date, I like some nice heels. I like the way Rihanna dresses, and of course Beyonc\u00E9.\n\nIt's prom season right now. In fact, D. Wade just surprised a Florida teen as her prom date. Do you have any memories of your prom? \n\n It was my first time riding in a limo. We rented one for the night, and we thought we were pretty cool. I wore a rented tudo, and it was all-white with a canary yellow vest and bowtie. It was something different. And, of course, I brought a corsage for my date.\n\nHow do you and your teammates kill time when you're on the road traveling?\n\n You're around each other eight months out of the year, so it really becomes an extended family. We just have conversations, play video games, and listen to music. Everybody's always together talking. We're always joking around and having fun. Anything we do behind the scenes, we do on camera. The Harlem Shake video, for example, was just a conversation we were having one day and a couple people were like, \"We should do one.\" From there, it just happened.\n\nWho's the biggest jokester on your team?\n\n I would say either me or LeBron. We're always cracking jokes or making fun of somebody. Like one of my teammates, he always has on a pair of Jordans with a scuff mark on 'em, so I tease him about his shoes.\n\nLast year was your team's first championship. How would you describe the feeling when you won?\n\n Overjoyed. A lot of people were waiting a long time to finally get that trophy. We were just happy.\n\nHow will it be different if you win again this year?\n\n It shows that we kept working hard. We kept fighting. We didn't get comfortable.\n\nWhat will you do to celebrate?\n\n No team traditions. I don't know what we'll do this year, honestly. We won't go home, though!\n\nClick through to see some of Mario's personal pics\u2014prom shot included!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/mario-chalmers?slide=1>