At its Toronto flagship store, Tiffany and Co. launched the Tiffany Men’s collection with a little help from Raptors player and NBA champion Serge Ibaka.

Arguably one of the most stylish players in the league (his Instagram is full of ’fits from fashion week and beyond), Ibaka wore a watch, bracelet and chain from the new Tiffany 1837 Makers Collection and a bracelet from the Tiffany T collection.

Beyond jewellery, the new line also features homeware, accessories and watches. Regrettably, his championship ring – the largest ever made with over 650 diamonds – didn’t make an appearance but party-goers got to admire another gleaming piece of basketball history. On display in honour of the Raptor’s historic championship win was the NBA Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The piece was custom-designed and handcrafted at Tiffany’s hollowware workshop, and is made out of almost 16-pounds of sterling silver with a gold vermeil cast.

We caught up with Ibaka at the event for a rapid-fire round of questions on style, who he really wants on his cooking show and a response to Fred VanVleet’s claim that he was the best-dressed Raptor.

How does it feel to finally wear the NBA championship ring? It feels blessed. I’m so thankful for it. It was a beautiful moment, one of those moments you’re never going to forget about.

Where did your interest in fashion start? Since I was young, my dad loved to dress [up]. In Congo, it’s our culture – people love to dress nice. People work hard so they can have money to buy nice shoes or a suit. That’s how everything started and that’s why I love fashion.

Do you have a fashion icon? I get my inspiration from David Beckham. He’s very classy but cool at the same time.

What’s your favourite piece? One of my favourite pieces in my closet is one I just added a couple of weeks ago in New York from Christian Dior. It’s a leather kimono. 

Who are your go-to designers? Dior, Thom Browne and Balmain.

Fred VanVleet said that he has better style than you. What’s your response? Tell him maybe he had too much wine. He knows better.

Who is your dream guest for your YouTube cooking show, How Hungry Are You? Will Smith.

What would you and Will Smith cook? I already know what I’m going to cook for him. It’s going to be fun but it’ll be a surprise. 

Finally, what are you looking forward to this season? We have a lot of new guys and we lost big pieces of our team – Kawhi [Leonard], Danny [Green]. We know it’s going to be tough. But we still have a lot of guys to step up. I’m looking forward to this new challenge.