LeBron James has outfitted his Cleveland Cavaliers in suits that they have worn to almost every road playoff game this year. With an NBA Finals showdown against the Golden State Warriors starting Thursday in Oakland, that recent habit wasn’t about to change. But this time, something was different.
Yup, that was James, looking very businesslike, except for perhaps trying too hard to remind us that Thursday marked just the first leg of the Finals. Wait, wasn’t Karl Malone the NBA star who was known as “The Mailman”?
Actually, the comparison that most came to mind, if the resultant Twitter frenzy was any indication, was Angus Young of AC/DC. So who wore it better?
A few observers were reminded of Jack Black from “School of Rock” and Bart Simpson.
Some pointed out that James’s care in putting together his ensemble, which included a $41,000 bag, didn’t appear to extend to making sure his socks matched. Others were more perturbed at the height of the socks.
Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was moved to comment on James’s outfit, joking at a pregame news conference that no one could see his own shorts because he was standing behind a podium. “LeBron defines fashion,” Silver told reporters. “If LeBron is wearing shorts, it must be in.”
While some were complimentary of James’s look, most seemed to be of the opinion that the Cavs star had taken an “L” before Game 1 even began. Cleveland is, in fact, widely anticipated to lose to Golden State, with more than a few predicting a sweep or a five-game series at best, and the pregame attire only gave further ammunition to those expecting to see James and his squad get cut off at the knees.
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