Josh Hart was the glue guy on the 2026 champion Knicks, a starting shooting guard whose rebounding, defensive versatility, and perimeter shooting held the rotation together. In the series-clinching 94-90 win that ended New York’s 53-year title drought, the Maryland native put up 13 points and 11 rebounds. Ask him how it happened and he’ll point to the work.

Basketball takes up most of the 31-year-old’s year, but his off-seasons have gradually pulled him into fashion. In the summer of 2024, David Yurman signed Hart alongside Seth Curry, Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jaquez Jr., D’Angelo Russell, Kevin Love, and Jalen Green for the jeweler’s first major partnership with NBA players. This summer, after the title run, Tommy Hilfiger welcomed him into its “Tommy Family” at a small celebration in New York City.

As a kid, Hart watched the athletes he idolized star in blue-chip commercials and told himself, “I will make it happen.” Years later, with ambassador roles at two major brands and a front-row seat at Hilfiger’s Spring 2027 ready-to-wear show during New York Fashion Week, he’s still a little stunned at how it played out: “It’s crazy that everything kind of came full circle.”

“The root of “I Will” is about silencing the doubters.” — Josh Hart

Off the court, Hart’s style is effortless, polished, tailored streetwear, and he matches his fragrance to the season as deliberately as he does his clothes. The summer off-season calls for white tees, sneakers, and something light and floral. Once basketball season and its tunnel walks come around, he moves into peacoats, slacks, Chelsea boots, and loafers, with vanilla and amber to match. That routine took years to build. In middle school, he emptied cans of Axe like every other kid, and one of his first real fragrances was a gift from his mother, tucked inside a little cigar case. It wasn’t until college that he started taking scent seriously and building a rotation so he wouldn’t “just smell like outside.”

Hart has spent his career fielding the same doubts: whether he can knock down open shots, what he’ll do when a defense sticks a center on him. His answer never changes: he’ll figure it out, and the work will get him there. It’s a mindset that fits the fragrance he’s now fronting as Armani Beauty’s newest ambassador. The new “I Will” Eau de Parfum draws on Giorgio Armani‘s own story of building a fashion house through sheer persistence and pitches masculinity as something quietly earned over time. The scent itself leaves a rich, dark vanilla trail, made for men who got where they are on their own.

To mark the launch of “I Will” Eau de Parfum, Hypebeast caught up with Hart to talk about how scent and style work together for him, where fragrance fits into his game-day routine, his first memories of his mom’s perfume, and why he doesn’t leave much to chance.

“I don’t really believe in luck. I believe in making things happen.” — Josh Hart

Hypebeast: Tell me more about your connection to fragrance. Have you always been tapped into the fragrance world?

Josh Hart: I wouldn’t say I was always tapped in. In middle school, I used that same Axe body spray that every other guy did. You’d put on like the whole container and think you smell so good. When I got to college, I started to actually tap into fragrances — and not just smell like outside, or whoever I bumped into that day. Once I really started diving into the fragrance world, I curated my own routine. During the summer, I’d wear something light, refreshing, floral. Then when fall and winter come around, it’s always been that amber, vanilla, oud-like kind of smell — that strong, distinct, fall/winter smell. I still abide by that today. That’s my little fragrance journey.

Do you remember what your first signature scent was?

I don’t. But I remember clearly that my mom gave me one back in the day, and it was in a little cigar case. I thought it was so cool. At first, I was like, “Mom, why are you giving me a cigar? You probably shouldn’t condone this,” and then obviously I found out it was a scent. I sprayed it, loved how it smelled, and that was the start. I remember my mom’s signature scent was Obsession. That’s like one of the main things I remember about my childhood is the way she smelled.

How does fragrance play into your personal style?

For me, fragrance and fashion go hand-in-hand. I still love the floral, fresh scents for summertime, and then once we get into fall/winter, it’s basketball season. It’s time for tunnel walks. I love wearing sweaters, nice slacks, Chelsea boots, loafers, peacoats, nice jackets, and I feel like that vanilla, amber smell makes sense with that sort of style. It’s one of those timeless, elegant styles that this fragrance pairs perfectly with.

Where does fragrance fall into your pre-game routine?

Before I leave the house, I always spray it. I live about an hour away from the Garden, and that’s really the only time I spray it. I might bring it with me and give it a couple sprays in the car right before going to the tunnel. But that’s where the fragrance journey stops on game day. I don’t want to go out on the court smelling too strong. Once the game’s over and I do my media and shower, I have my own little skincare and fragrance set-up in my locker, and I always spray one right before I go out and see everybody.

Could you elaborate on the ethos behind “I Will” and how it connects to your mindset?

The root of “I Will” is about silencing the doubters. Everyone always has questions. For me, it’s always, “Is he going to be able to knock down shots?” or “If they put a five on him, how can he manipulate that into the success of the team?” There are always going to be those questions. For me, the answer is always the same: “Don’t worry about it. I’ll make it happen.” That’s the exact foundation behind “I Will.” I don’t really believe in luck. I believe in making things happen. You put the work in, and you believe in your work, and when you do that is when you make things happen. When you’re confident in yourself, you look at any obstacle in your way and say, “I will get through this,” and that mindset is what you need to be successful.

As an NBA athlete working with such a legacy brand like Armani, I wonder what your thoughts are on the continuing convergence of the luxury fashion and sport worlds?

For me, it’s crazy. You always see celebrities working with these major brands and think it’s so cool, and you never think it’s going to be you doing that. It’s surreal. Again, it goes back to the root of “I Will.” When I was a kid, I was looking at those big athletes in these blue-chip commercials saying, “I will make it happen.” It came with a lot of sacrifice, but I still look at it through the lens of 10-year-old Josh who lived at 4905 Randolph, and I’m like, “Man, it’s crazy that everything kind of came full circle.”

And no luck was needed.

No luck was needed. I believe everything happens the way it’s supposed to. If you handle and carry yourself the right way, treat others well, put your head down, and put the work in, you’ll make things happen.