Long before the NBA tunnel became a daily fashion feed, brand strategist Tammy Brook saw a stage. NBA superstar Russell Westbrook was already turning pre- and postgame appearances into miniature style events, though television cameras usually framed him from the waist up. Brook believed that the walk into the arena could tell a bigger story, so she began pitching the tunnel as a runway where sport, fashion and personality could meet.
Her agency, FYI Brand Group, pursued major fashion coverage, helped develop recurring looks around playoff themes, and built partnerships around an identity Westbrook already claimed, including collections with Tumi, Acne Studios and Barneys New York. The work became an early case study in the method she now calls “cultural IP”: identify a genuine interest, build a public narrative around it and turn attention into a durable platform. Brook has applied the formula across music, sports, fashion, art, philanthropy and technology, yet the central principle stays remarkably consistent.
Her approach depends on listening closely before building the architecture. When NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wanted to enter high fashion while spotlighting emerging designers, Brook recognized a story rooted in his taste and originality. Gilgeous-Alexander found young designers on Instagram, wore their bespoke pieces in the tunnel and offered small labels a public incubator few marketing campaigns could manufacture.
I want to get into high fashion, and I still want to really expose young designers,” Brook recalled of the two-time league most valuable player’s vision. Her role was to frame the instinct without sanding away its specificity. The same logic guided earlier work with recent Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee Amar’e Stoudemire, whose interests in film and art opened paths far beyond basketball.
Brook helped connect him with film production and later brokered an ambassador relationship with Sotheby’s. Together, those projects advanced a public identity around sports, art and storytelling before athlete art collecting became a familiar cultural narrative. How do we build brand reputation in all these places where they can ultimately build businesses?” In Brook’s telling, the strongest partnerships begin with evidence: what a client already wears, follows, collects or discusses; which relationships already carry mutual respect; and where a brand can add scale without distorting the person at the center.
I’m a big fan of him,’” she said. Her response was to explore a Dior relationship grounded in mutual admiration, resulting in the luxury fashion house celebrating the Virginia rapper's Grammy-nominated Daytona album. As the 2026-2027 NBA season tips off on October 20, Brook sees the strategist as a coach who develops the play around the athlete’s own read of the floor.
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