BIL-DRESS-CODE

On this day in history, October 17th of 2005, David Stern made the NBA the starting time major sports league to have a wearing apparel code. A wearing apparel code that required baggie pants and bailiwick of jersey wearers like Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony to "wear business casual attire" to games and a sports glaze with dress shoes on the bench. A dress lawmaking that meant jewelry lovers like Paul Pierce had to tuck their bling inside of their collard or turtleneck shirts. A wearing apparel lawmaking that said a large N-O to the post-obit things:

  • Sleeveless shirts
  • Shorts
  • T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the result (e.yard., a basketball game clinic), squad-identified, and approved past the team)
  • Headgear of any kind while a actor is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a squad or league effect or advent (unless appropriate for the event or appearance, team-identified, and canonical past the team)
  • Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the histrion's clothes
  • Sunglasses while indoors
  • Headphones (other than on the team bus or aeroplane, or in the squad locker room)

A apparel code that some players, like Jason Richardson, thought was targeting just black players.

"One thing to me that was kind of racist was you tin can't article of clothing chains outside your clothing." Said Richardson before a 2005 preseason game. "I don't empathise what that has to do with beingness business outgoing. … You wear a suit, y'all nevertheless could be a crook. You see all what happened with Enron and Martha Stewart. Just because y'all dress a certain way doesn't hateful you're that way. Hey, a guy could come in with baggy jeans, a 'durag and accept a Ph.D. and a person who comes in with a suit could be a three-time felon."

Other players like Stephen Jackson, who was involved in the infamous Malice at the Palace a season earlier, accused the league of existence afraid of its players condign "too hip-hop" and said some the above bullets were "definitely a racial statement."

Afterward the Monday memo went out to all of the teams, a frustrated Paul Pierce still wore his chains to a preseason game and gave his two cents on the new policy.

"They don't want your bondage to be out, all gaudy and shiny. Just that'southward the indicate of them," Said Pierce. "I love wearing my jewelry. But I dearest my job. I dear playing basketball more than I honey getting fined and getting suspended."

Marcus Camby jokingly said he did not have an issue with the league rules equally long equally the league gave players a clothing allowance.

Commissioner Stern'due south response to feedback from players similar Pierce, Jackson and Allen Iverson, who said he was willing to fight to wear comfy dress, was a stern one.

"If they are really going to have a problem, they will have to make a conclusion about how they want to spend their developed life in terms of playing in the NBA or not," Stern said.

So how did this article of clothing thing become an issue?

As evident from over 20 players betwixt 2000 and 2005 (including Shaq, Kobe, and Allen Iverson) getting hitting with a $10,000 fine for wearing amorphous shorts, the Commish wasn't fond of wearing XXL when you are 5'11" and less than 180 pounds. As evident from David Stern calling Allen Iverson'southward rap vocal "xl Confined" an "offensive and anti-social" ane and maxim he has "the power to disqualify players who engage in offensive conduct — including inappropriate speech," he wasn't besides fond of Biggie and Pac and had no issue punishing players who wanted to be like them. Merely neither of those things was the straw that broke the Commissioner'due south back. According to the Washington Post, the catalyst was a Team USA dinner in 2004.

While the Serbian national squad wore matching sports jackets, many of the NBA players arrived in an assortment of sweat suits, oversize jeans, diamond earrings, and platinum chains.

Larry Brown, the coach, was said to take been and so embarrassed he considered sending some of the worst dressed players back to their hotel.

Brown wasn't the only coach embarrassed past the way players were dressing. Bulls coach Phil Jackson told ESPN, "The players accept been dressing in prison garb the last five or half dozen years. All the stuff that goes on, it's like gangster, thuggery stuff. It's time. Information technology'due south been time to practice that. "

Not all of the coaches felt it was a big deal. Stan Van Gundy idea information technology was silly and said the NBA'southward dress lawmaking was "stricter than the dress code in a lot of office buildings."

Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe also criticized the code and pointed out in that location wasn't 1 for GMs.

Merely some of the players, including Grant Loma, were on lath. And others, similar LeBron James, had no issue with it.

"No, it'south not a large deal, not to me." Said James to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Sometimes yous feel lazy and y'all don't feel like putting some clothes on, but this is a task. We are going to have fun, just this is a job and we should await similar we're going to work, that'due south the way they feel."

The trouble is a lot of guys can't do their job unless they feel similar themselves. We all know the NBA stands for Nix Merely Actors but a expert manager has to make sure the actors are comfortable and have total trust and faith in the director and the manager's vision. That wasn't the instance with the players and David Stern when it came to the dress code.

"Yous're expressing yourself, expressing your identity. It's taking away our cocky-expression. I like to clothes and change it up," Said Jason Richardson. "Some of them have religious meanings backside their chains, others have personal messages behind their bondage. Some guys just like to habiliment them. I think that was indirectly racial."

And to end this trip downward memory lane here is the biggest thug in NBA history with the best quote about the lawmaking.

"I remember it's a load of crap. I understand what they're trying to do with hats and 'durags and jerseys and stuff. That's fine. Simply I don't understand why they would take it to this level. I remember it's basically retarded…I don't like the management they're going, but who am I?"

The answer is the greatest power forwards of all-time…and one of the worst dressers too.

Tim Duncan holds his MVP Trophy

Source: ESPN, Washington Post, The Guardian

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