LOS ANGELES — The worlds of sports, fashion and music are colliding in today's pop culture landscape like never before.
Complex has been at the forefront of bringing together the various industries through its publication and its events. On Oct. 3 and 4, the media company celebrated 10 years of ComplexCon, a streetwear convention that highlights brands large and small, plus hosts panels and concerts. The convention started in 2016 in Long Beach, California, had several iterations there and spent a few years in Las Vegas before returning to Southern California at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the big anniversary.
ComplexCon has created countless viral moments while facilitating meaningful conversations. It is a place for kids to be in the
same room with their favorite streamers and industry veterans to honor the legacies of legends like Kobe Bryant, Virgil Abloh and Nipsey Hussle.
While Xs and Os aren't the center of conversation at ComplexCon, there is no shortage of sports touchpoints for fans to engage with. There's obvious connections like leagues hosting their own activations and athletes participating on the panels. Then there's more nuanced ties such as how brands incorporate sports culture into their designs, such as a nod to a hockey jersey worn in an iconic rap photo.
With hundreds of booths and activations, it's nearly impossible to summarize all of the sports ties at ComplexCon, but here's what caught the attention of USA TODAY Sports.
WNBA and NBA make presence felt at ComplexCon
The WNBA made a statement with a massive gumball machine that spit out basketballs. Luna Colton, 9, was among those who won a T-shirt by getting a blue basketball. She plays with the Jr. Clippers and attended the convention with her mom, Daniela.
The booth had merchandise from Playa Society and was branded to commemorate the league's 30th anniversary.
The NBA partnered with NBC to create buzz for the 2026-27 season tipoff later this month. Their activation was themed like a comic book stand and they gave out comics. Each team had a page with an illustrated preview that featured their players larger than life.
Hellstar recreated Tupac's Detroit Red Wings jersey
One of the most iconic photos of Tupac is him spitting at the camera wearing a red bandana and a Detroit Red Wingsjersey. For ComplexCon, the late rap icon's estate partnered with Hellstar for a merchandise collection honoring the 30th anniversary of "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory." Part of the collaboration includes a red hockey-style jersey. There's no obvious Red Wings branding, but the reference is clear. The winged-tire logo was replaced with the angel figure of Tupac's Euphanasia label and the back has a white cross reminiscent of the tattoo on his back.
New York takes over Los Angeles at ComplexCon
ComplexCon is a signature West Coast event. But at the 10-year anniversary of the streetwear convention, New York was on full display.
There were a variety of brands from the Big Apple, including Awake NY's activation with Toyota and Heron Preston partnering with Formula E. LAAMS, a community center in New York, had an activation that felt like a city block with risers to sit on, a newspaper stand and a pull-up bar. Shirt King Phade's booth with ProClub had an urban feel featuring graffiti walls and airbrushed T-shirts of New York City mayor and massive New York sports fan Zohran Mamdani.
One of the highlights of the marketplace was Jay Z's activation, which went hand-in-hand with his world tour commemorating his 30-year music career. It was a must-see. With his hits bumping loudly, fans walked into a subway-like box that was blacked out with a white graphic of Hov's signature diamond hand sign.
There was a Mitchell & Ness merchandise collection of New York Yankees gear with the Roc-A-Fella logo. Among the items was a letterman jacket that had a navy base and white leather sleeves and there was also a navy satin jacket. Both commemorated 25 years of "The Blueprint" album with "Heart of the City" embroidered on the chest and the project title on the back.
There was white jerseys and black jerseys with the Yankees' signature pinstripes. The black ones had "'96" on the back to honor the 30-year anniversary of Jay Z's debut album, "Reasonable Doubt."
The Yankees might be on the brink of elimination from the MLB playoffs, but it's clear their legacy transcends the baseball diamond.
Foot Locker also brought the concrete jungle via its activation with Timberland. The boot is a New York staple, so the sneaker retailer brought in a subway car for fans to have an Instagram moment or just a place to sit amid the surrounding chaos. There was a photo booth with a subway map and the Timberland boots were on display at a news stand complete with a newspaper called the Timberland-Foot Locker Times detailing the collab with LOSO that sold out in a few hours.
Russell Westbrook made an appearance representing Honor The Gift
Russell Westbrook might be done playing professional basketball, but he has no shortage of things to do. The former NBA All-Star, who retired in August, was at ComplexCon on Saturday representing his Honor The Gift brand. He made an appearance at the company's booth, which had a clean aesthetic featuring white flowers and a vintage black car. The Zero Regrets collection included T-shirts with his career accomplishments on the back.
He then spoke on a panel at the Chase Freedom Cashback Courts about his legacy.
"The moment I got drafted, I realized my influence went beyond basketball," he said, according to OffBall.
Jeff Hamilton honors sports legacy at ComplexCon
Jeff Hamilton has become a household name for his luxurious leather jackets. He has been a part of sports history by crafting several iconic pieces, including the jacket Kobe Bryant wore in the bathroom after winning the 2001 NBA Finals. In his booth at ComplexCon, he displayed a sparkly jacket paying tribute to that moment.
The designer discussed how being a part of the inaugural ComplexCon helped boost his confidence after a stint away from his work.
"When I walked through the aisles, people knew who I was and it was very flattering," he said in a conversation with USA TODAY Sports. "Not from an ego standpoint, to know that I had over the years created some kind of impact that whatever I did for me, because I was passionate, not from a business standpoint, resonated with the ultimate fan."
Soccer had strong presence at ComplexCon
Soccer was the center of attention this summer at the World Cup and ComplexCon was a great avenue for the beautiful game to continue shining.
One element of the convention was ThriftCon, which was a vintage marketplace. There was an abundance of football kits and one booth even had a massive 2022 World Cup Al Rihla ball on display.
Certain brands like Palm Hills had soccer-inspired clothing. They had a kit based on the England national team complete with a Three Lions logo and also bright yellow Brazil-themed track pants that caught attention in the concrete space.
RRose From Concrete stood out as a brand that highlighted football culture. The founder and designer, Ray Rose, creates custom jerseys and writes player names in Hangul characters used in the Korean language. He wants to highlight diversity beyond the Latin alphabet.
"We don't even think twice about it," he told USA TODAY Sports. "And I get it. It's a business. It's a universal language. But I want to be a reminder of how beautiful the Korean language is."
Athlete favorite brands represented at ComplexCon
Part of the fun of tunnel fashion is discovering cool brands. Several athlete-favorite brands were on display at ComplexCon, including legacy companies like Fear of God, Bape and Awake NY and newer ones such as Bottega Desires, Gallery Dept., Diet Starts Monday, Fried Rice and Gold + Vintage (known by its Raspberry Hills logo).
House of Errors is a popular brand known for its whimsical designs. Nick Peart was at the booth representing alongside Gabe Davis and Alec Babs. He spoke on how the London-based company goes beyond any one industry.
"Even early on like when we used to see athletes, entertainers wearing the brand, I think it always felt good," he said. "But honestly, I think the most important thing is when everybody wears it, right? We love seeing high-profile people in it, but it's always good to see when I walk down the street in New York and I see somebody random in it."
Roman Reigns has some fun promoting 'Street Fighter' movie
One of the most exciting activations on Saturday was when the cast of "Street Fighter" made an appearance at the movie's pop-up. Wrestling superstar Roman Reigns joined Callina Liang, Noah Centineo and Eric André on stage where they revealed a purple car reminiscent of the game's Bonus Round. André got the crowd hyped with a bullhorn and Centineo got into character by pretending to body slam the car. Reigns was cool as a cucumber through it all.
Formula E had race car hanging from the ceiling and Heron Preston chatting with the people
Formula E knew how to stand out in the crowd. They had a bright orange race car hanging from the ceiling at their activation. The GEN4 race cars are new this season. They can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately 1.8 seconds and reach about 208 miles per hour. It's the fastest car in the motorsport series yet.
New York designer Heron Preston was there chatting with the people and explaining his partnership with the electric motorsport series.
"I've always been drawn to sustainability, less environmentally-destructive practices, recycled fabrics, innovation," he told USA TODAY Sports, "and that aligns with the world of Formula E as well. Reusing energy to push motorsports forward. And so, this is really just like an alignment between both of our worlds."
Shannon Sharpe, Rich Paul share hot takes in Sneaker of the Year panel
A key component of ComplexCon in the past were the panels, which brought together thought leaders from across streetwear, music and sports. Previous ComplexCon(versations) featured Lewis Hamilton pondering '90s streetwear with Tommy Hilfiger and Fear of God's Jerry Lorenzo reflecting on faith with Rich Wilkerson Jr., the pastor who married Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
At the 10th anniversary of the convention, the panels felt a bit like an afterthought. There were a few debates and one-on-one conversations, but no topics that were especially intriguing. The Sneaker of the Year roundtable on Sunday had the strongest sports ties with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and business mogul Rich Paul on the panel.
Sharpe applauded Westside Gunn's Saucony Grid Jazz 9 sneaker, called the "Awesome God," saying he wouldn't even wear them, but keep them stock. He also said there's no such thing as a bad pair of Air Forces and had an "unc" moment with Lil Yachty. Perhaps his most entertaining take was on the No. 10 sneaker, the New Balance 1890 Action Bronson "Planet Frog."
"It took me a while to get used to New Balance because New Balance used to be, you cut grass in New Balance," he said as the crowd erupted in laughter.
Breeana "B Hove" Walker looked fly in a red plaid flannel from Pyrex Vision, Virgil Abloh's first brand before he started Off-White. She had a good take on Nigel Sylvester's Jordan 4 "Brick After Brick" sneaker, which was released a year after his critically-acclaimed "Brick By Brick" Jordan 4.
"The Brick By Brick was like your freshman album," she said. "Delivering a sophomore album as good as your first one is very hard to do. So I think in terms of consistency, it's clear that Nigel can make really good stuff with Jordan Brand, but I don't think it's as good as the Brick By Brick. But it's cool!"
During Paul's entrance, a fan shouted, "I miss LeBron!" because LeBron James left the Los Angeles Lakers to join the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. James' business partner and right hand man shared some insight on the state of sneaker culture, suggesting that brands need to look toward lesser-known designers instead of regurgitating concepts.
"It has not been a great year for sneakers this year. Sometimes I feel like we just need a reset just in general," he said to an attentive crowd. "We need some new designers in all these (expletive) places. I think a lot of times in corporate America, everything is based upon a résumé and not clued into a creative space, based upon a résumé and they don't even understand what or who actually is. There's a lot of people who will never get the opportunity to work for these brands that they support."
Los Angeles sports teams celebrated at ComplexCon
While the Los Angeles Dodgers were battling in the National League Division Series, Fragment was getting fans outfitted in special edition merchandise at ComplexCon. There was a collection of black, blue and gray hoodies and T-shirts that had the Dodgers logo front and center with Hiroshi Fujiwara's lightning logo sprinkled in. The pieces were part of the official Complex Store, making them some of the event's marquee items.
The Realest was another brand that highlighted the Dodgers. Its activation felt like a museum exhibit. One of the key pieces here was an authenticated jersey from the 2025 Tokyo Series of Shohei Ohtani.
It was autographed by the MLB superstar in kanji characters, which further celebrated his heritage and the culture of the city the game was played in.
The company also had the last No. 8 jersey that Kobe Bryant wore in the NBA Finals. The piece, which was authenticated and autographed, hung on a gently spinning display featuring a gold mamba sculpture.
Bryant was honored throughout the weekend. The intros to the ComplexCon(versations) featured a clip from his 2017 chat with Kendrick Lamar about what it means to be great.
While ComplexCon is sometimes criticized for creating hype over honoring history, the way the event weaves together various industries while celebrating big names and highlighting up-and-comers remains unmatched.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Russell Westbrook, race car hanging from the ceiling: Top ComplexCon sports moments
