Wearing a suit shows that they're professionals.
Posted on 07/09/2025 10:09:02 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
When the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons faced each other in the 1988 and 1989 NBA Finals, the matchups featured some of the most iconic players in pro basketball. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy led the Lakers. Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer headlined the Pistons’ roster.
Those championship series also included another competition of sorts: a clash between the league’s most stylish, fashion-forward head coaches. The Lakers’ Pat Riley, who twice appeared on the cover of GQ magazine, preferred immaculate Armani suits. The Pistons’ Chuck Daly, whose dapper attire earned him the nickname “Daddy Rich,” owned at least 100 suits.
Times sure have changed. For NBA coaches, this is a golden age of comfort and convenience, a decade dominated by quarter-zips, not bespoke suits.
When the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder meet Wednesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the wardrobes of Rick Carlisle, Mark Daigneault and their assistant coaches almost certainly won’t qualify for the cover of any fashion magazine or for any of fashion’s most renowned runways. The Pacers’ and Thunder’s coaching staffs wore quarter-zips and pants during the series’ first two games, continuing a fashion sea change within the league that started in the 2020 NBA bubble and shows no signs of abating.
And if league officials ever revert to requiring more formal attire, more stringent regulations most likely would occur over the objection of the vast majority of league coaches and assistant coaches.
“We’ve had several votes over the last few years, and it’s well over 80 percent to 20 percent that is in favor of what we’re doing presently, and it’s closer to 85 or 90,” said Carlisle, the longtime president of the National Basketball Coaches Association.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Th entire nation has become slobbified.
About the same time defense returns. Each NBA game is a copy of an All Star Game in the 90’s.
I lost all interest in the NBA when Bird,Parish (aka: “Chief”),McHale and DJ left the Celtics.
Styles change. As long as people dress somewhat appropriately I’m good with that. But yes there are too many slobs who slobbify the nation.
No question there.
Just so long as they don’t go all baseball on us and start wearing their team’s little shorts and singlets, I’m okay.
Barely related: Burt Shotton and Connie Mack were last MLB managers to wear suits, around 1950.
Rules now are uniforms (or the appearance of) required to set foot on playing field.
Now ‘slob’ is the new fashion—along with tattoos, nose rings, tongue rings, spiked hair and colored hair.
We sure have come a long way!
I’ve always thought it was ridiculous that the coach of manager of an athletic team would dress in expensive suits.
Running and jumping on the sidelines, along with wild gesticulations and profanities, are the antithesis of stylish and cultured.
Either dial back the drama or dress like a sweaty laborer.
If I had the money to buy a professional sports team, with exception of baseball, the head coach would wear a suit and tie where appropriate. Shirtsleeves and tie when it its hot out. Baseball coaches have to wear the team uniform. Have to.
Wearing a suit shows that they're professionals.
They still wear suits in the NHL and the Premier League.
It’s cold beside an ice rink.
Suits were at the end of a centuries-long march. If suits return it will require the same process.
Wearing a suit shows that they're professionals.
“Slobbified”. The spell checker doesn’t like that word, but I do.
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