Who are they trying to impress?

by Albert Greene
Courier Staff 

NBA players seemingly have it all, money, cars, endorsements, but the one thing they don’t have is the control to pick out what they want to wear before games. In a memo that was sent out to teams before Nov. 1, the NBA declared there would be a league wide dress code.

The dress code is basically as follows, when the players arrive to games they must be dressed in professional attire. Also, if a player isn't playing in a game but is still there watching from the bench, they must dress the same way.

According to NBA.com the dress code is as follows, "Players are required to wear Business Casual attire whenever they are engaged in team or league business.

"Business Casual" attire means: A long or short-sleeved dress shirt (collared or turtleneck), and/or a sweater. Dress slacks, khaki pants, or dress jeans. Appropriate shoes and socks, including dress shoes, dress boots, or other presentable shoes, but not including sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, or work boots."

So how would you feel about all this if you were a player? I mean think about it, you have all this money and can get whatever you want, but it's like you're at a private school that has a dress code. But this is the way it is. For years now, we have seen players sitting on the bench or arriving to games in jerseys, and baggy jeans, or shiny medallions like they just walked out of a rap video.

How many times have you seen Philadelphia Seventy Sixers guard Allen Iverson sitting on the bench with a baseball hat on and wearing earrings that are almost as big as his head?

The point is this. The NBA is a business, the players in the league work for that business. Even though the "business" pays very very well, one should still dress like they are coming to work.

I mean, a lawyer doesn't show up to a court case with basketball jerseys and a pair of Michael Jordan shoes on does he? Some of the players need to understand they are professionals and they need to at least dress like it.

Portland head coach Nate McMillian had this to say about the new code, "It's important that the players understand they have to respect the game," McMillian said in August. "They have to respect the league. And they have to respect the fans. You must be a professional at all times."

The new code states that players will no longer be allowed to wear shorts, sleeveless shirts, T-shirts, chains, pendants, or medallions worn over their clothes, sunglasses indoors, or headphones.

Not everyone in the NBA however is impressed with the dress code. Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell stated, "I understand they're making it out to make us look better to corporate and big business. But we don't really sell to big business."

Bell also said, "We sell to kids and people who are into the NBA hip-hop world. They may be marketing to the wrong people with this." You see most of the players in the league are African Americans in the middle to late twenties.

A lot of them grew up in the so called "hip hop" generation. The way they dress is a statement of their culture according to them.

So what do you think? Should the NBA keep this dress code? Well as of right now the code is staying in effect and does not seem like it will be changing anytime soon.

One thing is for sure though, from now on NBA players will be dressed to impress.