Suit Up! Thanks to CP, Thunder Struts New Threads Before Game
By Nick Gallo | Broadcast Reporter & Digital Editor | mailbag@okcthunder.com
A couple weeks ago, Thunder players stuck around after practice for some measurements. Unlike the NBA Rookie Combine, they weren’t being tested on their height without shoes, their hand size or their vertical leap. They weren’t even being fitted for a new uniform. Instead, tailors were getting inseams and arm lengths at the behest of Chris Paul as he got each of his teammates sized up for a custom-fitted suit.
By Wednesday morning, the suits had come in, just in time for every Thunder player arrived at Chesapeake Energy Arena showing off their new look. Paul arrived in a powerful dark blue suit with white pin stripes, while his teammates donned a wide variety of combinations. The most popular play was a turtleneck to go with the suit rather than the traditional shirt and tie. That suave option was rocked by Dennis Schröder, Hamidou Diallo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Rookie Darius Bazley looked like he stepped right off of Wall Street and Nerlens Noel went all men’s magazine with a bold tan suit with a light blue shirt, navy tie and white pocket square. The main event, however, was Steven Adams. The Thunder center, who normally wears orange Thunder flip flops and sweats to games, wore a deep blue colored three-piece suit, a white shirt and a navy tie along with a white pocket square. The topper was a grey cap perched atop his flowing mane of brown curly hair, an homage to the Netflix series “Peaky Blinders”.
Adams admitted to reporters before the game that the last time he wore a suit was for Russell Westbrook’s induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame back in 2016. That night, the big Kiwi revealed, his suit had a rip in it that the he was desperately hiding all evening long.
While Adams may not get a lot of future use out of the very generous gift by Paul, he and the rest of his teammates were very dapper on Wednesday night. The pregame threads may not have impacted the incredible come from behind outcome against Memphis, but the fellas sure did look good walking away with that W.
