The NBA Draft is great because it provides 30 fanbases with endless hope and optimism for the future. (Well, 29 if you don't count the Knicks.) The NBA Draft is also great because it provides some of the best young basketball players in the world a chance to show the world what they've got in the fashion game.
Fashion has become as much a part of basketball as anything you'll find drawn up on a courtside whiteboard, and fashion statements made on draft day live forever...for better or for worse. Just ask Drew Gooden.
Every year there are winners and losers, so let's take a look at the impact players this year on both sides.
The good
Mikal Bridges
There's not enough I can say about how great this look is. Blue and black is always a great combo, but the patterned jacket is absolutely scorching hot. The black-on-black underneath is slick but, most importantly, makes sure the attention stays on the headliner -- THAT JACKET!
And it's not just the outside of the jacket that's flames. Bridges repped his college squad, Villanova, with a custom lining on the inside of the jacket, and he smartly showed it off on stage.
Custom linings were quite popular this year. Top pick DeAndre Ayton also did an awesome job with his jacket interior, showing love to Bahamas, Nigeria, and Jamaica.
Ayton repping the Bahamas pic.twitter.com/yd6C0vt4jS
— SB Nation (@SBNation) June 21, 2018
Wendell Carter Jr.
A lot of guys try to get crazy just for the sake of doing something different, but Wendell Carter Jr.'s "Black Panther" inspired outfit -- and the complementary fits from his family -- were an awesome case of finding a hip reference point without doing too much. The all black look is slick -- especially the patterned jacket -- and he accessorized it quite well with the help of Gucci. Obviously the major selling point is the shoulder cloth, but the belt buckle is a nice touch.
Again, the family completing the look was awesome.
Wendell Carter Jr. and his parents have matching wardrobe’s inspired by Black Panther. Love it. pic.twitter.com/fWaq2N6RvC
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 21, 2018
Lonnie Walker IV
Walker IV may have had the best look all night with a great white suit that was accented by a healthy dose of pink and navy. It's a high-class look that he didn't overdo. He tied the look together with some nice accessories -- that pocket square is *kisses fingers like an Italian chef*, and I dig the funky glasses as well. Extra points for making his draft hat levitate like that...
The bad
Trae Young
Nice suit...where's the rest of it? It seems safe to say that we owe this look to LeBron James, who attempted to bring back suit shorts during the NBA Playoffs this year. Let's just hope this trend is SHORTS-lived. (See what I did there? Nailed it.) But seriously, even the people who watched the draft from home in their sweatpants ranked higher in the fashion department.
Trae Young’s just different. Respect. pic.twitter.com/28IScujG5Z
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) June 21, 2018
Suit shorts made it to the Draft 👀 pic.twitter.com/AAVj6O4mAy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 21, 2018
Luka Doncic
Doncic decided to go the traditional route on draft night, which is a fine strategy. Don't have to be flashy to be a winner! Unfortunately, nobody told him "traditional" doesn't mean he needs to dress like he's going to an eighth grade formal.
Kevin Knox
First-round NBA draft pick or traditional English butler? You decide!
The ugly
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Congratulations to your grandmother's couch for getting drafted in the first round.
