Russell Westbrook featured on SI's Fashionable 50 cover

Russell Westbrook is this week's cover star as the "SI's Fashion MVP."

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook clearly has an eye for style, even if his fashion choices are known to be a bit out of the box.

It is because of his unusual style and flair for the dramatic on and off the court that Westbrook, the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player, graces the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated, which celebrates the top 50 fashionable athletes in the world of sports.

The list was selected by SI editors and a panel of experts in the fashion industry, and the second annual list also includes a Top 20 ranking of style MVPs and awards for the best-of-the-best in athlete fashion.

Taylor Ballantyne/SI

“It goes across so many things, not just in fashion but your whole self,” Westbrook told SI's Jamie Lisanti. “It’s so important to remember to be yourself, regardless of what others think.”

Westbrook's cover photo was shot in Oklahoma City by Taylor Ballantyne and styled by Jason Rembert, with the triple-double machine rocking shades, with a gray and white jacket and pants by Salvatore Ferragamo.

“I wear a combination of everything,” Westbrook told SI. “I go with what I’m feeling and with what looks good, regardless of how much it is. I want to show people across the world that you don’t always have to wear high-end. Whatever it is, you can still be fashionable.”

Thirteen NBA players made the top 50, with 12 NFL players and six tennis stars also named among the sports world's most fashionable. 

Westbrook, and other 2017 SI Fashionable 50 honorees such as Lindsey Vonn, Kyrie Irving, P.K. Subban, Tyrod Taylor, Robbie Rogers, and Marcedes Lewis, are expected to attend SI’s invite-only Fashionable 50 event at Avenue in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

To see the entire 2017 Fashionable 50 list, click here. The special Fashionable 50 double issue of Sports Illustrated will be available on newsstands July 20.