Though Steven Adams later remembered putting a suit on in 2016 for Russell Westbrook’s Oklahoma Hall of Fame event — “That was probably the last time I wore like shoes and stuff,” he said — he shocked the world Wednesday, strolling through the back hallways of Chesapeake Energy Arena to the Oklahoma City Thunder locker room dressed in a blue three-piece suit, topped with a brown cabbie hat.
Tag: Fashion
Every player on the Thunder roster …
Every player on the Thunder roster arrived to Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies wearing a custom tailored suit, set up and paid for by Paul. He had the idea in the preseason, then brought in a tailor to fit the team a couple of games into the season. The suits finally arrived Wednesday.
“I didn’t realize how much time it …
“I didn’t realize how much time it takes to put on all that s—,” he said. “It’s a lot longer that I take normally. I didn’t account for it. I was just like, ‘Eh, f— this, mate.’” “A lot of buttons, a lot of weird little things,” he said. “It’s a three-piece suit, which means more buttons in this region. But it’s all pre-made Italian stuff.”
Kemba Walker enjoys two things besides …
Kemba Walker enjoys two things besides playing basketball for the Boston Celtics: his downtime, and fashion. “We’re on the road so much, when I get downtime I like to really be down,” he said. “When I am down, I’m on my phone just online shopping.” Walker is among the most stylish players in the NBA. He has more combinations of outfits than he does moves on his way to the basket. However, he’s more likely to take a hit from an opposing big man than he is to his wallet.
“I still don’t buy super-expensive …
“I still don’t buy super-expensive stuff. I literally only shop sale section,” he told MassLive. “For the most part I only shop in the sale section. I do have a few expensive pieces, but for the most part, I only shop in the sale section.”
The bit of frugality, at least when it …
The bit of frugality, at least when it comes to some of what Walker is buying, comes from his upbringing in The Bronx. Avoiding wasteful spending has been programmed into him. “Yeah, I just can’t. I just can’t,” he said. Sure, there’s a piece here and there that is just too good to resist, but reality prevents him from paying full price. “If I spend $5,000 on a jacket, I’m probably only going to wear it once that year. So I don’t buy it. Or I’ll just wait until it goes on sale. Which it will at some point.”
Salvador Amezcua, 32, is better known …
Salvador Amezcua, 32, is better known as “Kickstradomis,” among the top shoe artists in the game. Give him a pair of kicks, and in due time, you’ll get back an original piece of work, not unlike the kid who started making up his own comic books when he was four, growing up in L.A. A savvy disrupter, Kickstradomis’ creations are a staple throughout the NBA and NFL, and are now reaching into the music and film worlds as well. Among his more well-known clients are Dallas Mavericks sensation Luka Doncic, the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, WNBA 2018 league and Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and L.A. Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. He does all the work by hand, and the backlog is weeks long. Using movie characters, cartoons, any and everything that comes to mind, he can put them on a pair of shoes.
“Now, for 2020, everything’s going to …
“Now, for 2020, everything’s going to shift a little differently,” he says. “I have to be more exclusive with the people I want to work with. I really choose to work with the guys who’ve been loyal to me, and we have mutual (desires), kind of both want the same things. There’s a few of these guys that really want to see me grow and they’ve helped me in different ways. Those are definitely the ones that I stick to. Luka’s one of them. Donovan Mitchell. KAT. Those are some of my closer guys. But then there’s the new young guys, the new generation.”
Steven Adams and his ‘really weird’ sense of fashion
Whether wearing bright orange flip flops with his face on them, camouflage hats or going barefoot in public, Adams is uniquely himself.
The rise of fashion in the NBA is something that has been heavily chronicled.
Player’s outfits are posted on Instagram. There are power rankings of their individual fashion choices. And teams are adding red carpets and DJs to their walk-in entrance.
The fashions are almost as important as the games themselves.
But not to everyone.
Steven Adams is his own man. On the basketball court and in what he wears to and from the arena.
The Oklahoma City center is known for sporting bright orange flip-flops with his face across the band.
Camouflage is also a staple of his wardrobe.
And while the consensus around the league is that Adams is the toughest player in the NBA, Fred Katz of The Athletic found out that his teammates see him as “the dude who meanders around shoeless in public.”
“It’s just comfy. … I don’t wear (flip-flops) while driving, so I just kick them off while driving and sometimes in the mornings,” said Adams. “I just can’t be bothered, mate. That’s how lazy I get, mate,” he said. “It’s just, yeah you can slip them on but I’m like, ‘Agh, whatever.’ Let’s go. Then just walk in.”
Granted, it can be difficult to find shoes to fit size 19 feet. Walking around barefoot is likely a lot easier.
But there are times when dressing up and putting on shoes is necessary. For those occasions, there are two requirements for Adams’ style – comfortable, and preferably, free.
When he does wear something with a closed toe, they’re giant boots large and homey enough that they might just be the ones the old woman famously lived in. He sports camouflage jackets and hats not because he’s some experienced hunter but because a close friend has a hunting store back home in New Zealand and gave the clothes to him. And he said, he’s about comfort … and free (expletive).
The clothes are just some of the quirks that make the Big Kiwi so endearing to fans and teammates alike.
On or off the court, Adams doesn’t try to be anybody that he’s not.
Steven Adams is wearing athletic shorts …
Steven Adams is wearing athletic shorts and sandals. And there is nothing exceptional about it. “He continuously only wears flip-flops everywhere. … His attire in cold weather is so odd,” said Josh Huestis, Adams’ at-the-time teammate. “He’ll wear flip-flops, shorts and then a big, heavy camo jacket with his Russian bomber hat.”