"Dress like 50 Cent ... Michael, everybody we were in the suits" - 4x NBA champion offers a damning critique of modern NBA players' dressing etiquette
In an interview with DJ Vlad, John Salley criticized the up-and-coming NBA players about their dressing etiquette.
Salley won 4 championships in his career, two with the Detroit Pistons, one with the Chicago Bulls and one with the LA Lakers. He vehemently disapproved of the dressing etiquette of players in the league today, stating:
"If we talk about this new group that's coming in that needs to have tailors. I just want to say that. In the draft, some of your outfits are horrible and trash, period.
"The chain with your shirt in your suit? Cut it out. You're not a rapper, not a rapper. Stop it. Dress like 50 cent. 50 cent dress like a professional athlete used to. Dress like 50 cent. Just like you going in the business."
Salley alluded to his time with Phil Jackson, with whom he won two titles, stating:
"Phil Jackson didn't like when I was into that because Michael (and) everybody, we were in the suits. We holding more than just you. You're carrying the league and your family and you. Dress like a professional."
Salley's comments resemble those of former NBA commissioner David Stern when Allen Iverson made tilted hats and oversized t-shirts the norm.
Also Checkout:- Tallest NBA Players
Salley objects to a similar theme of cultural changes that Allen Iverson brought to the NBA
For many people, Iverson was a divisive figure during his tenure in the league. Iverson was an undersized guard who endeared fans by zipping through defenses.
On the other hand, David Stern, the then NBA commissioner, deemed Iverson's off-court appearance to tarnish the league.
Iverson and Stern went back and forth. Iverson boasted cornrows and inculcated hip-hop culture in the league. Stern reinstated a dress code that banned jewelry, t-shirts and headgear.
Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy has stated that the referees targeted Iverson during his career. This targeting could be in part due to his feud with Stern. Despite the lashback, Iverson was one of the greatest to play the game.
Averaged 31.1 PPG, 4.6 APG, 2.5 SPG21 years ago today, Allen Iverson won MVP
▪️ Averaged 31.1 PPG, 4.6 APG, 2.5 SPG
▪️ Received 93/124 first-place votes
▪️ The lightest and shortest MVP ever (6’0", 165 lbs)
(via @NBATV)
https://t.co/Z7yTlGQt4P
Iverson won the 2001 Most Valuable Player award. He secured 11 All-Star selections and seven All-NBA selections. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, along with Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming.