N.B.A<\/a>. (Hart is from Silver Spring, Md.)<\/p>\nOver the last few years, Hart has primarily turned to Sandra Finn, a 39-year-old hairstylist in Houston, and Shanna St. Cyr Alexander, a 32-year-old hairstylist in New York, for these elaborate designs, which typically take about two hours to complete.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he first asked me to braid the New York logo into his hair, I immediately said yes, before I even knew if I could even do it,\u201d said Finn, who planned to braid Hart\u2019s hair ahead of Game 5 of the N.B.A. Finals in San Antonio on Saturday.<\/p>\n
With all eyes on the Knicks as they stage a momentous N.B.A. playoffs run, Finn and St. Cyr Alexander spoke to The Times in a joint interview about their creative process and how they get Hart ready to bring his A-game style onto the court. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.<\/p>\n
How did you both decide you wanted to do hair for a living?<\/strong><\/p>\nSHANNA ST. CYR ALEXANDER <\/strong>I grew up in a family that did hair. By the time I was 10 years old, I was already doing other people\u2019s hair. That\u2019s my way of expressing myself, of being creative. I had always done it on the side, like my whole life, even in college. I quit my 9-to-5, and it\u2019s been seven years full time.<\/p>\nSANDRA FINN<\/strong> I feel like I manifested this life. I always said: I\u2019m going to grow up and do celebrities\u2019 hair. In high school, I went to work for my local barbershop, who needed a braider, and I just went all in on braiding. I never had to have any other job in my life. After high school, I got my cosmetology certification, and I had a son at 18 years old, and braiding has provided a life for me and him and my family.<\/p>\nHow did you and Josh Hart cross paths? And how often do you work together?<\/strong><\/p>\nFINN <\/strong>I had been doing a few basketball players around the league, including Gerald Green, who played for the Rockets, and Josh saw what I did for him and just reached out to me. People like Josh and Gerald are really drawn to using hair as a creative outlet.<\/p>\nWe work together for the big events. Then, traditionally, it\u2019s been the first game of the playoffs every year for the past three to four years, or when he comes into Houston. Sometimes, he\u2019ll fly me out.<\/p>\n
ST. CYR ALEXANDER <\/strong>I started doing Josh\u2019s hair when he moved to New York in 2023<\/a>. Like Sandra, he reached out to me on Instagram.<\/p>\nWhenever he\u2019s in the city and the season is on, it\u2019s easier for me to go to him. He always works around my schedule.<\/p>\n
Tell me about the creative process.<\/strong><\/p>\nFINN <\/strong>One of the things I appreciate the most is that he gives me the freedom to be creative, while also sharing his own ideas and vision.<\/p>\nST. CYR ALEXANDER <\/strong>We are artists and I feel like Josh allows us to be that. He is one player whose hair is always intact, and I feel like that comes with his personality. It\u2019s not just about getting his hair out of his face, it\u2019s also about displaying who he is. I feel like hair is an expression of who you are. Josh likes his hair well kept, you know, and as a person, that\u2019s who he is. He often brings me ideas, and I bring him some, and we just put our minds together and make magic happen. With Josh, it\u2019s never just a simple style; he\u2019s not that person. And I like a challenge.<\/p>\nWhat are some things you consider when braiding an athlete\u2019s hair?<\/strong><\/p>\nFINN<\/strong> Working with athletes like Josh is unique because their hairstyle is a part of their personal brand. Fans recognize the design and the styles and it\u2019s seen by millions on television and social media. There\u2019s a lot of pressure to execute the design perfectly. But it\u2019s rewarding, because it allows me to showcase braiding like art on a larger stage. And to be honest, these guys are out there sweating, and getting your braids wet is one of the worst things you can do, because they get loose, they get fuzzy. It\u2019s an aggressive sport too. The braids are not gonna last like they would a normal person.<\/p>\nSo how often does he get a refresh?<\/strong><\/p>\nST. CYR ALEXANDER<\/strong> I feel like Josh changes his hair every round, so for the playoffs, then the Eastern Conference finals, then N.B.A. finals. So I did his hair for Game 1.<\/p>\nFINN<\/strong> I\u2019m actually going to San Antonio in time for Game 5. Josh called me the other day. I\u2019ll make the drive. It\u2019s three hours, but it\u2019s, you know, the finals.<\/p>\nWho are you rooting for in the final?<\/strong><\/p>\nST. CYR ALEXANDER <\/strong>THE KNICKS!<\/p>\nFINN<\/strong> In San Antonio, I don\u2019t know if I can wear my jersey, but I\u2019m gonna be in a Knicks hat for sure.<\/p>\n