NBA Post Game Press Conference Fashion Drinking Game – The Finals 2012
Obligatory Disclaimer: Not our fault if you get hammered and sick. Your liver is your business, so drink responsibly.
Pretty sure this isn’t what David Stern was expecting when he instituted a dress code in 2005. In the seven years since, the players have swung from one end of the spectrum to the other. The NBA has become the best dressed professional sports league, with many of its stars leading the way. But the post-game press conference is an entirely different animal.
Trends and high-end fashion risks reign. The players are using what used to be a sleepy event to roll out some freaky looks. Even the league has embraced the attention their players’ fashion choices are getting at these post game pressers, which happen to be streamed live on NBA.com.
The Rules: Similar to other drinking games. “1 Drink” means a decent sip/pull off a beer, not an entire beer, glass of wine, or shot. For the initial appearance of each garment, accessory, grooming style, or action, do the following:
- Nerd Glasses – 1 Drink
- Nerd Glasses with no lenses – 2 Drinks
- Wearer reaches THROUGH the lensless glasses to scratch his eye – Shot
. - Bizarre child-appropriate shirt pattern – 1 Drink
- Air Tie – 1 Drink
- Air Tie on button down collar with collar buttons unbuttoned – Finish your drink
. - Bright/Pastel Colored Shirt or Sweater – 1 Drink
- Bright/Pastel Colored Pants – 1 Drink
- Bright/Pastel Colored Blazer or Sport coat – 2 Drinks
. - Over sized Peak Lapels – 1 Drink
- Double Breasted Suit – 2 Drinks
- Shawl Collar – Shot
. - Knit Tie – 1 drink
- Bow Tie – 2 drinks
- Bolo Tie – 2 shots of corn whiskey from a mason jar
. - Erik Spoelstra actually keeps his tie ON for the post game press conference – 2 drinks
- Scotty Brooks takes his tie OFF for the post game press conference – 2 drinks
- Brooks takes his tie off DURING the post game press conference – Finish your drink
- Either coach wears nerd glasses – 2 shots
. - Over-sized watch – 1 drink
- Watch worn on the outside of the shirt cuff – 2 drinks
- Pocket Watch – Finish your drink
- Watch on each wrist – Shot of Wild Turkey
. - Large Patch of any kind or Rank Insignia – 2 drinks
- Pinned Medals or Ribbons – 3 drinks
- Aiguillette – 2 shots and eat an MRE
.
. - Player mentions his stylist – 1 drink
- Player compliments another player on how he looks – 2 drinks
- Reporter asks “and who are you wearing this evening?“ – Have a cosmo, fill out your Oscar ballot.
. - Fanny Pack – Finish your drink, have a juice box.
- Arm Garter – Turn on Pandora’s Old-Time-Piano station, make an old fashioned, slam it.
- Sombrero – Gargle Cuervo.
- Life Jacket – Shotgun a beer and turn off the press conference. Commence boat races.
.
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Westbrook should have a category all on his own. Severity of patterns or something.
I love it – the pre game walks and the post game pc outfits. They are clearly having a lot of fun with it. Carefree at its best.
The problem with the NBA is that the majority of the players are from the inner city and they think they need to try extra hard to remove the ‘hood from who they are.
Nerd glasses are extremely played out by these dudes. Way too far. Indoor sunglasses (at night) might even be more acceptable. Me = annoyed
Can I just say, as someone who has worn glasses since the 2nd grade, it really irritates me that people now wear eyeglasses (with or without lenses) for “fashion.”
I spent 11 years of pre-college education as the athletically disinclined, four-eyed, band/orchestra/Advanced Placement nerd. Only now in adulthood, when glasses make people look interesting and intelligent and nerds are finally cool, do I get to reap the rewards of that long suffering. Most of these guys have clearly never paid any nerd dues.
It’s arguably better than trying to show everybody that they’re still as hood as hood gets.
?? I can honestly say that thought never crossed my mind. There’s no “problem” here either. Not sure if this guy is trying to, as you seem to think, “remove the ‘hood” from who he is: http://craigsagerssuits.tumblr.com/
The comments here are yet more proof that ignorance is pervasive on the Internet. To characterize these athletes as simply “trying too hard to remove ‘the hood’ from who they are” is to discount their personal style as pandering to an invisible, prejudiced majority.
I’m just going to offer my two cents here for what it’s worth (and not get into a debate even though it might rub some people the wrong way), but I perceive NBA athletes in this day and age to be much more arrogant and pompous than just about any other group of professional athletes. When narcissistic man-divas like these guys show up for a post-game press conference dressed like this, all I see are spoiled brats who will do just about anything so people pay attention to them. If Michael Jordan was in his grave, he’d be rolling over in it.
I completely agree with this statement. It bothers me immensely that the same people who used to mock me and steal my glasses as I was growing it up are now wearing it as a fashion statement to make themselves seem intelligent or something.
Conan did a sketch on this not too long ago http://youtu.be/C9rsBsd5t2I
http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/05/31/playing-the-nerd-card-a-new-marketplace-podcast/
read up. i think any explanations for the nerd glasses can be more widely applied to the preppier fashions that seemingly all the NBA stars are suddenly wearing now.
Big fan of Marketplace and thanks for the link. I’m with you though, it’s an extreme prep / head to toe go-to-hell look more than anything, which is great, because it shows these guys can break away and do whatever they want. If it was less about fashion/aesthetics, and more about secret psychology, wouldn’t the glasses have at least, y’know, lenses? I still don’t see how there’s a problem here though. I’m with Paul (2nd comment) it’s carefree and fun.
Although, I’m not sure how I could take myself seriously after a hard loss, if I put on my lens-less nerd glasses and head out in front of the cameras. Stuff doesn’t roll of my back that easily.
Or they are simply having fun. But agreed, they’re overpaid athletes who have their ego stroked at every turn; this is not a new development.
Yes, let’s look to MJ for style.
http://wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com/
GREAT tumblr.
This is a strange comment, and one which Joe has adequately addressed. However, I will add that don’t understand how what these guys wear to the post-game press conference indicates that they are trying to be un-“hood.” And I’m not entirely sure that Lebron or Westbrook, for example, were from rough neighborhoods in the first place. Moreover, I couldn’t disagree more with your premise. Now there are blatant indications that one is, in-fact, trying to overcompensate for modest upbringing, e.g., installing an ATM in one’s kitchen.
When you look at the totally of how a guy like Lebron James acts, I have a hard time believing he wears that kind of outfit to just ‘have fun.’ Look at what he did when he made public his move to Miami and tell me with a straight face that anything the guy does in front of cameras is genuine. The guy’s a joke…
Also…tell me how a guy that spent his career in Chicago that wears a Chicago Blackhawks jersey is a rebuttal to what that guy said? Some people still have respect for the men who treated their profession with respect.
Stern instituted a dress code in 2005 which was meant to remove the “hood” or hip-hop style of clothing most players were wearing on the bench and to interviews. You can dress a thug in a suit, but he’s still a thug.
Damnit, all this out-of-office/job-site nonsense is keeping me from checking up on Dappered daily and now I’ve missed this!
As a nearsighted fellow, I beg you and the great players of our fine National Basketball Association to please, please, leave the fake glasses at home. I wear glasses, and care how they look, because, get this, I need to wear them to see. I figure if I have to wear them, they might as well look good. It’s a small perk for having shitty eyes, so can we, the fuzzy-eyed, please keep this for ourselves?
Very well. I do not follow the NBA nor do I have much of an interest in sports personalities in general, therefore I will leave the worrying to you.
In regards to Mr. Jordan, is this blog not about style? I was indicating MJ is not a valid barometer for natty basketball players. Look again – it is not the jersey my friend, it’s the jeans. And the blazers. And the suits. And the vests. If you prefer to focus on his character, here he is paying respect in spades.
http://wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com/post/2836341063/unparalleled-focus
On a side note, how the hell do I embed links?
Let’s ignore the racist undertones and cut to the core of your misconception.
In the hood, youths, especially associated with gang cultures, tend to wear their wealth on their sleeves. Gold chains, over-the-top sneakers, etc.
So, an NBA player wearing over-the-top outfits isn’t somehow a repudiation of the hood, it’s a synthesis of hood sensibilities with high fashion. And the results are awesome.
PS Joe if you ever need someone to philosophize about fashion I’d do it pro bono. my email is gloucester+nospam@gmail.com
“Wearer reaches THROUGH the lensless glasses to scratch his eye – Shot” …Hilarious.