Fashion & Beauty

Above the rims

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, 23, sent the sports blogosphere into a tizzy last week when he showed up to a postgame press conference in plastic red Wayfarer-esque frames — without lenses.

The peculiar style choice sparked intense interest into the so-called larger “nerd-chic” eyewear trend that in recent years has turned the NBA into the society of the spectacle.

“Glasses have become as important of an accessory as a watch,” says Jordan Silver, vintage-eyewear expert and owner of SoHo’s Silver Lining Opticians. “And these athletes have fun collecting them in the same way. Some of these frames are so rare they have serial numbers. And these players are interested about it. They want the history of the frame,” adds Silver, who has outfitted almost every eye-curious athlete, including Knicks Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo, the Heat’s Dwyane Wade and LeBron James and the NFL’s Von Miller.

“The top-echelon players are wearing glasses that no one can get their hands on,” he says, adding that the thick-framed specs swept the sports world after Jay-Z began donning them.

“When it comes to fashion, athletes generally follow musicians’ lead,” says Silver, who has sold his goods to the Nets co-owner for eight years.

Regardless of its origins, having the flyest frames has become one of the biggest off-court competitions.

Here’s a peek into some of the biggest sports stars’ collections.

PHOTOS: ABOVE THE RIMS