NBA Halloween Costumes 2026: 8 Easy Ideas From Opening Week
Pop Culture · NBA · Halloween 2026
NBA Halloween Costumes 2026: 8 Easy Ideas From Opening Week
Halloween is Saturday. The NBA season is one week old. Here are eight costumes pulled straight from opening week, and six of them take under 20 minutes to build.
The first week of the 2026-27 season gave us a 45-point opener, a 12-for-12 debut, a referee shirt from a point guard’s clothing brand and a block that came with its own caption. That is a costume closet. Every idea below comes from something that actually happened, and every one can be built from things you own plus one or two cheap pieces. We ranked them by how fast you can pull them off, starting with our favorite.
Anthony Edwards opened the season with 45 points, nine threes and 10 rebounds in Miami, the first player ever to put up 45, 10 and five threes in a season opener. It was also LaMelo Ball’s first game as his teammate. This is the easiest costume on the list and the most current one.
Start with Planet Euphoria’s hand-drawn Anthony Edwards graphic tee. Add track pants, a pair of slides as a nod to his adidas mule, and a paper plate with 45 written on it. When anyone asks who you are, hold up nine fingers.
The Rest of the List
SGA topped Complex’s best dressed NBA players ranking in June with no stylist, and one of his standout looks last season was an oversized trench coat over a graphic tee with baggy denim and an iced chain. You already own most of this costume.
The best part: if anyone says it is not a costume, you say “I dressed myself,” which is the whole point.
In his first game as a Laker, Walker Kessler took 12 shots and made 12. The only other Laker to shoot 100% on 12 or more attempts was Wilt Chamberlain, in 1969. That is a costume and a flex at the same time.
Daniels had five steals in Atlanta’s opener and seven against Charlotte in a 47-point win, the biggest in Hawks history. NBA.com’s nickname for him is the Great Barrier Thief, which is a cartoon burglar waiting to happen.
This one works for a group. Everyone dresses as a burglar and one person carries the sack.
LaMelo’s own clothing brand, LaFrancé, became TNA Wrestling’s official apparel partner this month, and TNA referees now wear a blue shirt with a white collar with the LaFrancé logo on the front. So the costume is a wrestling referee dressed by an NBA point guard.
For the deep cut, draw a small red LF under your left ear. That is where LaMelo has his, the tattoo the NBA once told him to cover.
Jokic posted 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in an overtime win over New Orleans for the 199th triple-double of his career. Somebody has to keep the books on that.
While Haliburton was out with his Achilles injury, he dressed from the bench in blazers, penny loafers and sweater vests. Complex called the look “insurance salesman.” He came back this season with 23 points and 12 assists in his first game. The outfit deserves a second life on October 31.
The best couples costume of the week. Wembanyama scored 25 against Houston, and Amen Thompson still sealed the game by blocking him. Thompson’s caption: Amen met The Alien.
One of you is Wemby, a Louis Vuitton ambassador who loves a long coat. The other is Amen Thompson. Height difference optional, attitude required.
The National Retail Federation expects $13.5 billion in Halloween spending this year, including $4.4 billion on costumes, with shoppers planning around affordability. Spirit Halloween’s 2026 trend list has no sports costumes on it. That is an opening. A good basketball costume costs little, takes minutes and gets recognized by anybody who watched the first week of the season.
Quick Pick
Short on time? Here are all eight by build time, which is our estimate for someone with a normal closet.
| # | Costume | Build time | Effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ant Edwards, Opening Night 45 | 5 min | Easy | Solo |
| 2 | SGA, No Stylist Required | 10 min | Easy | Solo |
| 3 | The 12-for-12 | 10 min | Easy | Solo |
| 4 | The Great Barrier Thief | 15 min | Medium | Solo or a crew |
| 5 | The LaFrancé Referee | 15 min | Medium | Solo |
| 6 | The Triple-Double Accountant | 15 min | Medium | Solo |
| 7 | The Insurance Salesman | 20 min | Medium | Solo |
| 8 | Amen Meets The Alien | 25 min | Committed | Couples |
Planet Euphoria’s hand-drawn NBA player tees are hand-printed in Schenectady, New York and numbered up to 500 per design. $40, sizes S to 5XL, free shipping. Any of these is half a costume already.
Anthony Edwards
SGA
LaMelo BallNBA Halloween Costumes: Your Questions, Answered
What is an easy NBA Halloween costume for 2026?
Where can I buy an Anthony Edwards shirt for a costume?
What is a good NBA couples costume?
What is a good group basketball costume?
How much are people spending on Halloween costumes in 2026?
An entertainment piece. Costume ideas and build times are ours. Stats, quotes and details were checked October 27, 2026 against NBA.com’s Starting 5 recaps, Complex, The Game, Heavy, CBS Sports, KSAT, Footwear Magazine, the National Retail Federation via Talk Business & Politics, and NJBIZ. No player, team, league or brand is affiliated with or endorses this article.
