New Clothes and the NBA

By Jo Ann Lawery

To be causal or not be casual, that seems to be the question in the NBA.

NBA commissioner David Stern has asked that the NBA pretty much do what players in the other sports have done-look presentable when representing your team.

I agree with the commissioner, but he's going about it the wrong way.

Some players, who probobly have never owned a suit in their lives and wouldn't know what one looked like if it jumped up in their faces and said boo, are all up in arms about this suit things.

Some players say, "I'm a grown man and I should be able to wear what I want."

That's true, when you're at home, after practice.

But when you're on the road, that doesn't mean you should be wearing a do rag, jeans with more holes than Swiss cheese, and throw back jerseys.

It also doesn't mean that you should show all your jewelry from Bling-Bling R Us.

Tone it down, guys.

As for some of those players who say, "If they want us to get new suits, we should be getting a stipend."

Yeah, sure you're right.

You're making more money than I'd ever see even if I DO win Powerball and you guys can't afford $300 suits?

Please, haven't some of you ever heard of the store, Gentleman's Warehouse?

It's that store in the mall right next to your favorite store, "Bling-Bling R Us."

There's nothing wrong with wearing a nice pair of pants and a casual sweater like Dirk Nowitzki does.

Or even a nice paid of dressy jeans like Tim Duncan does.

As for those of you oh so eager to bring up the tired old subject of racism, as an African American woman, I say, as usual, stop the madness and quit bringing up the race card on every little thing.

So what if most of the so called"hip hop" generation are your fans?

It's those lilttle rug rats parents who pay for their clothes and their tickets to see Latrell Spreewell act the fool or to watch Kobe and the rest of the Lakers.

Most of their parents aren't wearing do rags to work nor are they wearing baggy pants hanging half way down their knees.

They're dressed in business casual, and yeah, suits, too.

If it's a racist idea to dress up on the road, why aren't Shaquille O'Neal, Lebron James, and Michael Finley having a problem with it?

The last time I looked, all them of them were African American.

Which brings me back to the commisioner.

If the players want to express themselves, have them look at some of the newest members of the hip hop generation like Usher, Kanye West or even Jay Z.

P Diddy could even show them how to dress or even design clothes for them to wear on the road.

You don't have to wear a suit and a tie to represent your team on the road, but you shouldn't look like you're practicing to be a thug after your NBA career is over, either.

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