The Big Shorts: An era in basketball fashion is coming to an end

The Washington Post ^ | January 21, 2016 | Jorge Castillo

[MinorityRepublican]

Jerry West, the model for the logo of the National Basketball Association, wore basketball shorts the length of loincloths. Michael Jordan inspired a major alteration when he appealed for a longer and baggier cut. Then a group of freshmen at the University of Michigan known as the “Fab Five” became a national sensation in the early 1990s in part because of their sartorial swagger, with shorts that dropped below their knees. For years after, the subject of inseams inspired older observers of the game to fret: How low could they go?

But now, the hemline is creeping back up.

In early November, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James declared he would wear skinnier and shorter shorts this season, his 13th in the league, because he wanted to present a more professional appearance. But while he is the highest-profile convert to the shorter short, he isn’t the first. The emerging generation of pro basketball players, one that came of age wearing tighter clothes off the floor, beat him to it.

[BenLurkin]

So....are we doomed to return to the era of NBA hot pants?

[Robert A Cook PE]

Gee, Wash Post!

Yah think something important - like your anointed candidate’s illegal use of email on HER servo matters more than “the length of basketball crime stars’ shorts? “

or do you consider shorts more important than 10000 rapes and attacks performed by Muslims in Europe?

[day10]

I say it’s about time.

Now if we could get rid of the 3 point shot......

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Cue 70s disco music and red-white-blue basketball.

[Sgt_Schultze]

...because he wanted to present a more professional appearance.

Of course. Because nothing says "professional" louder than short pants.

[InvisibleChurch]

Next in the WaPo: Is Hillary’s hemline going up? Can you say, “Sexy giiiiiirrrrrl?

[mmichaels1970]

My favorite guitar player!

[muglywump]

Those were golden years.................

[AnotherUnixGeek]

But now, the hemline is creeping back up.

I can understand LeBron's need to draw people's attention away from his receding hairline but yeah, I don't need to see that. If the longer shorts were good enough for Jordan in his best years, they're good enough for the current guys.

[patriot08]

The ‘hot pants’ look better to me than what they have been wearing- which are so long and baggy they look like women’s skirts.

[dfwgator]

Those were golden years.................

Whop Whop Whop!

[Chode]

so the players dictate to the league what they will wear, is that it???

then why bother to call it a uniform?

[ICCtheWay]

It is about time — these Hip Hop baggy Rap singer pants looked absolutely stupid and projected the mentality of the originators.

Aside from having to keep up with their criminal statistics - the Hip Hop attire used in ‘professional’ basketball was and still is a definite turn off...

Same for Soccer shorts... ENOUGH of the crappy look...

[RetiredTexasVet]

Baggy shorts .... heck, I thought they were silky mini-skirts .... who knew.

[BenLurkin]

These are the only hot pants I want to see in the NBA

[Twinkie]

Butt cheeks should be covered with hijabs!

[gusty]

In my humble opinion, I prefer today’s baggier shorts over the ones of yesteryear. To my eye, the short shorts of the past look more appropriate for a gay pride parade than an athletic contest.

[buffaloguy]

I think the baggy shorts look like women’s skirts. They look awful.

[Dilbert San Diego]

And bring back the stirrup socks in baseball while we are at it. Nowadays the pants go all the way down to the top.of the shoe. Until about 1990 baseball players had stirrup socks .