Tag: gq sports

21-Year-Old World Series Champ Evan Carter is Still Floating

Your early twenties can be a difficult and fraught period. You’re coming into your own as a semi-formed person, trying to decide who you are and what you want to be, probably subsisting on gnarly combinations of fast food and cheap beer. Unless, that is, you’re Texas Rangers’ left fielder Evan Carter, in which case you just won the World Series!

Carter turned 21 in late August, only a handful of days before he got the phone call every minor-league baseball player dreams of. When he debuted for the Rangers on September 8, the team was in the thick of a pennant race, trying to ward off several challengers and secure a spot in the postseason. You could say they accomplished that goal—and then some. The Rangers squeaked into the playoffs during the final days of the regular season, then went supernova. Texas won each of its first seven postseason games—sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles in the early rounds—on the way to the first World Series title in franchise history. Hard-fought series against the Astros (to win the American League pennant) and Diamondbacks (to win the whole thing) stood in their way, but the resilient Rangers were up to the task.

A fixture of their fairy-tale run, Carter—who was playing for the Frisco RoughRiders in Double-A just 68 days ago—was spectacular. The young buck batted .300 with nine doubles across 17 playoff games, proving he was worthy of his meteoric, late-season rise through the minors. Mere minutes before joining the Rangers’ victory parade, Carter spoke to GQ about finding glory so early in his career.

Carter (legally!) enjoys some bubbly after the Rangers knocked off the Astros in the ALCS

Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images

Have you come back to earth yet?

I would say I’m still floating. Out of our window right now we can see all the parade people lining up. This is really fun. We’re at the field, so it still kind of feels like, I gotta go get ready to play! Once we settle in for the offseason it’ll be like, Oh my gosh! What did we just do?

Has the permanence set in? Like, No matter what happens in my life, I’ll always be on the first Texas Rangers team to win a World Series?

Man, yeah, it’s awesome! At the end of my career, that’s going to be one of the coolest moments. First one in Rangers history! This was an unbelievable experience.

I want to go back to March, when you were in spring training and you got sent to minor-league camp. Were you expecting to make the big-league team out of camp, or was this the plan the whole time?

I wasn’t expecting to make the team. That was more of an opportunity to get in front of the coaching staff and everybody—your future teammates, you hope—and veterans of the game. I was realistic. I had played a week in Double-A [at that point], so I was like, I’m not here to make the team. But it was definitely a valuable experience to be a part of a big-league camp.

I wasn’t there to not compete, though. I showed up and did the best I could. I tried to show them that I thought I was ready. At all times, I do think I’m ready. At the same time, there were a lot of steps through the minor leagues that I hadn’t really done yet.

When you did get called up, your goals had to immediately shift from just trying to make the big leagues to literally trying to win the World Series! What was that mental whiplash like?

The goal of every minor leaguer is to get called up. When you do get called up, it’s awesome. But you know, we’re here to win. We’re not here just to get called up! We were in a race with the Astros and Mariners there at the very end. Every win counts. All of a sudden, you get thrown into the playoffs! Each week has been bigger than the last one. It’s crazy.

I think it kind of worked out in my favor. There was no real time to sit back and think. That was probably for the better. Alright, regular season is over. It’s on to the playoffs. On to the next, on to the next. Nerves didn’t really have time to creep in. Expectations didn’t really have time to creep in. All these things that you would expect in your first big-league season never really showed up, because everything was moving so quickly, you know? Everybody around me, too, was so great. Having confidence in me—my teammates and Boch [manager Bruce Bochy] alike—they all encouraged me. It was really good.

So for you, it’s better to not think?

The more I think, the worse I am at baseball.

For you personally, what was the biggest difference you saw in the pitching from the minor leagues to the major leagues?

Gosh, everybody has amazing stuff, and at the same time, they’re better at controlling that stuff. They’re going to live on the edges—we saw that against [Diamondbacks’ pitcher] Merrill Kelly in the second game. He just lived on the edge of the zone, and there’s nothing you can really do as a hitter. I experienced that a whole lot more. In the minors, sometimes you get the starter out and it’s like, Alright, sweet! We’re in the bullpen. The guys coming in might not necessarily be as good as the starter. In the big leagues, you get into the pen and sometimes they’re even better than the starter! There’s no real break, I would say. Everybody is there for a reason. You gotta be locked in at all times because they are, too.

Right, sometimes it’s just, “Well, I can’t do anything with that.” Who were the big league pitchers that made you feel that way?

There were a lot, but the one that stood out to me was [Tyler] Glasnow when we played the Rays. He was…his slider was the best slider I’ve ever seen. Then obviously he’s throwing 99 on top of that. He’s really, really good. It’s a funky motion and the stuff is electric. Everything about it is just…different.

You spent most of the season in Double-A, but before getting called up to the bigs, you spent about a week in Triple-A. Did you even have time to get to know your teammates there?

I knew some people from spring training and stuff. I’d been around them and played with them. Triple-A is weird. They’re always bringing in new pitchers because lineups always change in the big leagues. So, there were definitely some guys I was not familiar with. But as far as the position players, I knew a lot of them. They were guys I came up with.

Matthew Roberson

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November 3, 2023
The Best NBA City Edition Jerseys Are the Simplest Ones

Charlotte, already equipped with one of the league’s most unique color palettes, combined teal, mint, and gold in a way that works surprisingly well. Buzz City isn’t exactly a household term, but there’s a lot of pretty colors here, so the Hornets get a good grade.

But the throughline of this year’s strongest City Editions is relative simplicity. Understanding that they didn’t need to go all out, invent a new color, or forge a connection that doesn’t actually exist, five teams’ quiet looks really caught our eye. Three of them (the Lakers, Knicks, and Bulls) already own some of the NBA’s most legendary iconography. Knowing that they’re already deeply-established brands with iconic imagery, those three took the refined route.

The Lakers one isn’t anything crazy. That’s because purple and gold is already a beautiful combo, with the black (representing SoCal after the sun goes down; sure, fine) serving as a nice canvas for their main colors. People will happily buy this jersey, and the players will look sleek as hell wearing them. Everybody wins.

The Knicks collaborated with Kith, and the pinstripes are a nice addition to what is basically a standard NYK top. The layering of “New York” is because, you guessed it, it’s the city so nice they named it twice. Marvelous. Chicago, meanwhile was wise enough to realize that red and black is an undefeated sports aesthetic, and going vertical with the lettering is both a fun twist on traditional jerseys and a way to evoke the vertical signage outside the old Chicago Stadium.

And then there are the Utah Jazz, who put a slight remix on the most recognizable uniform in their long and varied uniform history—the purple mountain’s majesty threads. The Jazz modernized that uniform and called it a day, which was smart. This is a wonderful jersey.

Matthew Roberson

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November 2, 2023
What on Earth Is Going On With the Timberwolves Brazilian X Account?

Over the weekend, a seemingly innocuous 106-90 win by the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Miami Heat inspired one of the most attention-grabbing moments of the young NBA season. We will refrain from embedding it here due to its extremely NSFW nature. But if you missed it, the now-infamous tweet from @TWolvesBrasil—a Wolves news account unaffiliated with the team or NBA—can be found here. In the least-freaky way we can describe it, the post showed a cartoon wolf devouring—going to town, really—on some poor, unidentifiable creature in a deeply suggestive way. Let’s just say it was very throat-forward. The caption read, simply, “1-1 VOLTAMOS.” There was also a wolf emoji, for good measure.

Voltamos translates roughly to “we’re back”, and the 1-1 was the T-Wolves record after this early-season victory. That much all makes perfect sense—par for the course from a basketball account. The content itself, however, is unlike anything we’d ever see from an American team account. Like so many unsuspecting scrollers, I had a mountain of questions that needed answering. One of them was taken care of right there in Timberwolves Brasil’s bio. “Not affiliated with @Timberwolves and/or @NBA.” That’s probably for the best.

But some curiosity lingered about the larger ecosystem here. Turns out there’s lots of accounts like this, purporting to represent and/or serve NBA fans of Brazilian heritage by posting equally risqué videos. Lots of them have blue checks. Suns Brasil even took the liberty of creating an AI image of Devin Booker and Luka Doncic (neither of whom look at all like their real-life form) engaged in a smooch. It’s all very horny.

In search of an explanation, I went to Francisco Attié, who works in GQ’s fact-checking department and happens to be Brazilian himself. My first question was: why are these accounts like this? My second was whether he had seen this type of post before. “I don’t know if I’ve often run into ‘horny’ posts,” Attié said. “But Brazilians are notorious for their web engagement with memes and catchphrases. Like the Timberwolves’ post was referencing the phrase ‘o lobo come’/‘the wolf eats,’ that they seem to use on posts after wins.”

Okay, but why did the Timberwolves Brasil account go so hard after the team’s first win? “I think what often happens is that Brazilian accounts mock the other team after winning, give themselves pats on the back as if they’ve just accomplished the unthinkable, and every celebration almost alludes to them being the best to ever do it,” Attié explained. “This is especially true of Brazilians who support teams that aren’t likely to win, or even make the playoffs sometimes. If this win is all there is, let’s celebrate it like a championship.”

Matthew Roberson

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November 2, 2023
The Gambling Life of Ja Rule, Who Once Made $100,000 at the Craps Table

What’s the most you ever made gambling?

Oh, man, a couple of hundred grand.

What was it on?

A couple of things: Basketball, Super Bowl, stuff like that.

When you win big like that, how does it happen? Is it a parlay? Moneyline?

Betting the spread, moneyline, parlays, all the above. But usually when I win big like that, I bet big and I usually take the moneyline or take the spread. I don’t usually play parlays for big money. I play small money on parlays and shit and hope to the gambling gods we win.

Is there one bet in particular that you can remember winning big?

One time I was in, I want to say Australia, and I made maybe 100 grand at a craps table. That was a good time. I was shaking them things all day. And the crazy thing— I had to do a TV interview, and I completely blew it off. You never leave the table on a heater.

How about losses?

I remember a time when me and [Irv] Gotti, we bet, like, a couple of hundred grand on a basketball game, and Gilbert Arenas killed us on the spread. We was fucking with him, heckling them. At the end of the game, he took this shot in hopes and desperation to backdoor cover the spread—because they couldn’t win the game—but he took a half court shot just to fucking destroy us, and we lost our money. I’ll never forget that ever in my life. He fucking punished us that day, man. Big shout out to the Hibachi.

That’s the up and down flow of gambling. You go through that shit time and time again. Gamblers, we got all kinds of ways to try to get it back. Once we lose it, it’s a slippery slope. That’s why I don’t gamble as much as I used to.

What are you into these days then?

I like fantasy football. I’m big on that. We play fantasy football for big money. I play with a really cool group of guys like CC Sabathia, Michael Rapaport, Joe Budden, Bun B. I won this fucking year, just to let you know.

What’s the buy in for the league?

I think we’re at maybe like 10, 15 grand? Something like that. We went up a few times.

Abe Beame

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October 31, 2023
Quin Snyder Is Single-Handedly Reviving NBA Coach Fashion

In recent years, we have lamented the fact that NBA coaches are not getting dressed up for work anymore. It’s not that every sideline general looked straight out of a menswear catalog—some coaches desperately needed a tailor, and even a tailor couldn’t help a few of them. But the guys wore suits, and that was good. Now, thanks to the pandemic sending everyone into casual mode, you will find zero coaches in a suit and tie, nary a cufflink or pocket square in sight. We’ve entered a world of lazy, unimaginative coach style. This year, though, it seems like one man can inspire change: Quin Snyder, head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, is bringing some technicolor to an otherwise dreary world.

Snyder, 57, coached the Utah Jazz from 2014 to 2022. And in that time, he earned a reputation (perhaps only in our minds) for wearing high-end watches and designer belts while yelling out pick-and-roll coverages. After resigning from his perch in Salt Lake City and taking last season off, he’s back this year with a flair fitting for the vibrant city he now inhabits. In his first season helming the Hawks, Snyder is embracing the team’s vivacious red hues. He’s only four games in, but the former Duke Blue Devil has shown a devotion to getting fits off, and a pair of snazzy little red glasses are really stealing the show. (Update: We have confirmed that they are indeed the Percey frames from Warby Parker, specifically the raspberry color.) Even as he and his coaching brethren are dressing down, he’s found ways to fit in while still standing out.

Snyder and Dejounte Murray both showcasing great basketball aesthetics.

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Matthew Roberson

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October 31, 2023
Shaquille O’Neal Reminds Everyone He’s the Best NBA Rapper to Ever Do It, With An Assist From Rick Ross and Meek Mill

Rap and basketball are inextricably linked—the majority of entertainers in both fields typically hail from the same communities and grew up in the same culture. It’s more than likely that if you made it doing one, you probably had dreams and aspirations of doing the other too. As such, crossover is inevitable and endless. J. Cole’s recent stint as a pro player is an echo of the real run Master P tried to go in in the late ‘90s. Everyone from Kobe to Allen Iverson has a rap song or five to their name if not a whole project. Kevin Durant executive produced the latest Drake album. LeBron James, one of our most important music critics, also invented the deluxe track. The list goes on, but one take is universally held as fact: if we’re talking crossover success stories, Shaquille O’Neal is the Gold Standard. And he just hit everyone with a big reminder last night.

First, let’s back up: Rick Ross and Meek Mill are releasing a new album, called Too Good to Be True. The title is an accurate description of most collab projects, but this is a big deal—Ross and Meek’s reunion is as close as we’ll get to the halcyon early 2010s of Maybach Music Group, when they were one of, if not the hottest label squads out, with Ross’s roster spearheaded by Meek and DC rapper Wale minting club hits, street bangers and radio smashes with ease. It was a time when every Meek verse sounded like he needed to be extinguished after leaving the booth, Wale churned out melodic radio hits like it was nothing, and people of taste knew there was a real, credible argument to be made for Ross’ lifelong friend Gunplay being one of the best rappers out. French Montana, also at his peak, was a close family friend despite being formally beholden to Bad Boy Records. Even bemusing decisions like signing Omarion yielded an undeniable track or two (and later, in true Ross fashion, A1 punchlines admitting it didn’t work out.)

Alas, all good crews come to an end. Ross and Meek had a brief (and thankfully never that serious) period of estrangement, Wale has since departed for Def Jam, Gunplay is in and out of trouble and endorsing Donald Trump amongst other problematic behavior, and so on.

All of that is to say, while Ross and Meek have been no stranger to featuring on each other’s albums still, it’s a thrill to see them really back together, trading verses over a mean, gritty beat for “Shaq and Kobe,” mean-mugging in a music video that feels like Michael Mann directing Bad Boys 4 and in full album rollout mode up at radio stations with Funk Flex like it’s 2011 again. They kept the momentum going with an only slightly-less-hard album cut that flips Jay-Z’s classic “Lyrical Exercise.” And last night was their biggest coup yet, with a “Shaq and Kobe” remix that gets one of its namesakes back in his rapper bag. (The original song, save a “hustling 24 hours” double entendre, is light on overt NBA references and moreso just alludes to the duo’s historic dominance. Rap and ball, linked as ever.)

Nineties babies and NBA/hip-hop fans alike are all too familiar with Shaq’s rap career, which began not long after his 1992 draft to the league, peaked with his 1996 album You Can’t Stop the Reign, and petered out right before the start of the new millennium. The annals of rap history are littered with aspiring-rapper-athletes—All-Stars who despite their achievements on the court couldn’t resist the urge to be an entertainer of a similar but different cloth. Most of the music merits participation trophies at best; few ballers came as correct as Shaq did in the 90s, with albums graced by production from the likes of RZA and Erick Sermon and features from the hottest singers and rappers of the moment. Who else can boast having the first track with Jay-Z and Nas together (in ‘96 no less, what taste) or delivering a true-blue rap classic alongside prime-era Notorious B.I.G. with the titanic yet still smooth “You Can’t Stop the Reign.” It’s not even a case of letting the smooth beat ride out until you get to Frank White’s verse—Shaq is actually spitting. (Extra Credit homework: the late, great DJ Kay Slay’s underrated 2006 flip with Shaq, Papoose and Bun B.)

Frazier Tharpe

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October 27, 2023
Heavyweight Champ Tyson Fury Only Fights for Shit Tons of Money

A few days before Tyson Fury takes on rookie boxer (and former UFC champ) Francis Ngannou, the world heavyweight boxing champ is feeling feisty. The nearly warm and fuzzy promotional meetups, where Fury seemed almost affectionate toward the less experienced fighter, are a distant memory. He has now shifted his mindset into kill mode, as he prepares to separate his opponent’s body from his being to the tune of a reported $50 million payday.

With seven children and a legacy to look after, the fighter is all business these days. Tyson Fury the wildman is gone (mostly). These days, the champ says he is living his dream, and approaches every fight with the cool and calculating mind of a professional. He says he only fights for a “shit ton of money”—but it doesn’t take much reading between the lines to hear him bristle when asked how he’d fare against fighters from other disciplines, and under different rule sets. These are fights that we may soon see as he rather strongly alludes to an MMA rubber match with Ngannou, who himself is listed as the world’s hardest puncher. Whether Fury can take the easy money and keep gliding on a path he feels is destined will be answered this Saturday in Riyadh.

GQ: Let’s get right to it—what’s the biggest animal you could beat in a fight?

Tyson Fury: I think probably a chihuahua. I don’t know if I could even beat that to be honest.

So you don’t think you could beat up a bear?

Against a bear I’d instantly fall on the floor and die. I don’t like to fight animals. First, they don’t have any combat skills, and second they didn’t do anything to me. I like to fight men, and I like to punch their faces in.

Speaking of which, everybody thinks you are going to smash Ngannou in boxing, but who wins that fight in a dark alley?

Me, because I’d have a pair of runners on and I’d get on up out of there as fast as I could. I don’t fight in dark alleys, I only fight for shit tons of money.

OK, so what if they paid you a shit ton of money to fight Frances in an MMA cage?

Well, we’ll find out soon enough. I’m not worried about his takedowns, so the fight goes like this: jab, jab, right, slip, uppercut, right, game over.

In the promotional material I’ve seen it seems like you have a real respect and admiration for Frances. Is that fair to say?

No, I think he is a big fat sausage and I’m going to knock him out. I was more generous with him in the past, but now I’ve switched on him.

Why’d you change your mind? Did he do something?

No, I’m just getting into fight mode. I don’t know him well enough to like him or dislike him. But I am going to knock him out. And I’m doing it for $50 million. Anybody would take any fight for $50 million. Wouldn’t you fight me for 50 million?

I don’t know, man, you’re a pretty big dude.

You’d fight me for $50 million, of course you would. What’s the worst that could happen?

I could die.

You’re not gonna die—it’s a boxing match.

OK, I’d take the fight if you’re offering.

I’m not. Listen, Frances is doing this fight to make $10 million. That’s more than he ever made in his whole career combined. It’s a snatch and run by Frances for sure.

You and Frances both come from humble backgrounds. Is there anything about him making that kind of money off this fight that makes you feel good?

Nothing about Frances making money makes me feel good. He is getting paid well and I hope he invests well. Ten million goes fast if you don’t spend it properly. You can blow ten quickly. I hope Frances pays his taxes straight away and invests wisely. If you do that you can make a good income.

You talk like a man who has been rich for a while.

I’ve never been rich and I still ain’t rich. I’m very sensible with my money. I don’t waste it on shiny things, I invest it and I always have done that.

Some of your suits are pretty shiny, though. Where do you get them?

I do wear some shiny, glittery things. I get it from my clothing sponsor Claudio Lugli. He has been designing my gear since 2014. He takes my inspirational quotes and he designs whatever he can with them. He puts me in some absolutely showstopping stuff that’s for sure.

If you could be great at any other fighting discipline what would it be?

I wouldn’t want to do any other discipline. If I wanted to, I would have done it. I’ve wanted to be a boxer and a champion all my life. I am living my dream, and I have been for the past 15 years.

Have you heard of Gordon Ryan, the jiu jitsu champion? I skipped jiu jitsu practice to do this interview, so I need to ask this question.

Well thank you, I know how you jiu jitsu guys are about practice. And yeah, I know who he is—silver-haired guy.

If you went into a fight with just your boxing, and he came with just his jiu jitsu, who wins?

Let me tell you this. I don’t believe any man alive could beat me in a no-holds-barred fight, because I will do whatever it takes to win. I’ll bite off your eyes, I’ll bite off your ears, I’ll take out your eyes.

OK, but not a street fight, let’s say it’s an MMA match.

Give me the time to train and pay me enough money and I’ll beat any man alive. It won’t matter the discipline. But really what you’re doing here is trying to compare a monster truck to a Ferrari.

Which one are you?

I’m both.

When’s the last time you were scared?

Every day. Every day I’m scared. I get scared that I’m not going to be a good parent. I get scared that you never know what’s going to happen in this world. I get scared about my kids, and my family, and their future.

You have seven kids. Do any of them box? Do you want them to go the same route as you, or do something easier on the body?

Two of them box, a 12 year old and a 7 year old. They don’t have any fights yet, though. I think all my kids will have to learn how to fight at some stage, because if you can’t fight in this life you’re going to get fucked over. You gotta fight in the workplace, you gotta fight in your relationships, you have to fight everywhere, or you’ll never succeed in life.

With all the celebrity boxing matches going on with the Paul brothers and other YouTubers, where does that leave the cruiserweight somewhere with a 15-0 professional record who still sleeps next to the radiator?

I think it should inspire him to do well and work hard and take his opportunities where he gets them. These influencers are growing the sport and getting more and more eyes on boxing. It’s getting bigger and bigger, and when these YouTubers are done fighting the real boxers can fight and it will be a larger audience. A lot of boxers don’t like YouTubers, they’re jealous of how much money they make. But there’s no point to that. You need to concentrate on your own goals, your own dreams. Don’t watch it on social media. If your screen time at the end of the day says seven hours, well that’s time you could have been reading a book, or training jiu jitsu, or doing something else productive for yourself.

Do you think Frances is scared of you?

No. At 6’4” 275 pounds and an MMA champ, he shouldn’t be scared of anyone. Truthfully I think he can’t believe his lucky stars. Ten million dollars for your pro debut? He is a lucky guy. But I should say, there is no such thing as luck. I believe in destiny. He is supposed to be here and get his money, so congratulations to the guy. But I’m still going to punch his face in.

Kevin Koenig

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October 27, 2023
“We Just Tell Them, ‘Name and School’”: Here’s How NBC Makes Those Viral Sunday Night Football Player Intros

Any football fan knows it well. For the hardcore addicts, it’s a pop quiz. For the casuals, it’s a nice way to get to know the players that will be running around for the next three hours. For certain folks (this writer included), it’s a reminder that there’s homework due tomorrow, whether they’re still in school or not. It’s a humdrum bit of broadcasting, and also zeitgeisty enough to warrant a Comedy Central parody. I’m talking, of course, about the player introductions on NBC’s Sunday Night football—the ones where the starting lineups from each team stare down the barrel of the camera and state their name and college. Or, if they’re feeling creative, whatever else is on their mind—like longtime Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who memorably introduced himself as “Sizzle,” from “Ball So Hard University.”

The tradition of filming live action intros started at ABC. Charlie Vanacore, a veteran replay director for SNF who came over from ABC, is sort of the proud papa of player intros. When the SNF broadcast changed homes in ‘06, Vanacore (who made the jump to NBC that same year) helped the talking-lineups component remain intact. “It’s really the only time during an NFL broadcast where you get to see a player’s face, hear his voice, and have them express themselves,” Vanacore says.

And boy, do they express themselves: it’s not uncommon to hear all manner of exotic intros on the broadcast. According to Vanacore, a defensive back from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette was the first player to go off-script. “I think it was Ike Taylor from the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Vanacore remembers. “He said ‘Swaggin University.’ That was early on, like ‘06. Same with ‘Jared Allen, Culinary Academy.’ I think he also said his preschool once. And then, of course, there was Terrell Suggs, who gave us the scoop on that nickname. “My cousin played basketball at Idaho State,” Suggs tells GQ. “His name was D’Marr. They called him D-Sizzle. So naturally, with us having the same last name, I inherited T-Sizzle.”

With each week offering a mostly new batch of intros—this season, SNF has already featured 12 different teams, and that will jump to 14 after this weekend’s Bears–Chargers tilt—we couldn’t stop wondering about the mechanics behind a weekly tradition that’s become interwoven in the NFL fabric. The NBC crew was happy to oblige. It starts here: during the offseason, NBC producers head out across the United States of Football to shoot about 50 guys per team. Ultimately, players from all 32 teams sit down in front of a green screen and quickly introduce themselves. But, inevitably, an unexpected depth-chart-climber or an unknown rookie shakes up the starting lineups during the season, requiring a new shoot.

Matthew Roberson

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October 27, 2023
Overalls, Leather Hats, and Louis Vuitton LeBron: Check Out the Biggest Tunnel Fits from NBA Opening Night

The first game of a new NBA season presents a blank canvas. Each team has the same 0-0 record, each player has a fresh opportunity to prove themselves, and perhaps most importantly, it kicks off a new cycle of tunnel fits. We all remember getting fresh for the first day of school. This is the basketball version of that. While the Nuggets, Lakers, Suns, and Warriors technically started a day early, Wednesday was opening night for most teams, and they gave us a veritable fashion show.

Some of the usual suspects stunned yet again, but the beauty of a new season is seeing some unexpected faces enter the NBA fashion space. (Dalen Terry, you are officially on our radar.) Rookies like Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson got their inaugural tunnel fits off, old heads showed that they’ve still got it, and the best part is, the NBA fit train doesn’t stop until June.

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Sit back, relax, and scroll through our 25 favorite NBA fits from the last two nights. Also, please remember: these are extremely tall professional athletes. You might not look the same if you try to replicate their outfits.

Matthew Roberson

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October 26, 2023
“BING BONG!”: The Story Behind That Viral Knicks Season Opener Video

Founded by Jack Byrne and Trent Simonian, Sidetalk has earned a reputation for chronicling eccentric New York City events like the Bronx Dominican Day Parade, Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest, and anti-vax rallies. This past July, they scored a video with Drake at Starlet’s Gentlemen’s Club in Queens. But back in 2021, they were juniors at NYU with a budding following, betting the Knicks would help them achieve the next level of internet relevance.

“We’re standing outside of MSG, looking at my ESPN app, keeping an eye on what’s happening in the game,” Simonian recounted. “And then we’re like, Oh my God, it’s going into overtime. Oh my God, it’s going into double overtime. So if they win this, the fans are going to be going crazy.”

The Knicks won in thrilling fashion, and the fans indeed went crazy. But the Sidetalk boys remained calm.

“Usually there’s an initial wave of people who come out of the stadium first. We don’t really interview those people, because the most passionate fans are going to stay until the very end,” said Simonian. “Once it’s so packed you can’t see far away, and the people are already starting to cheer and they’re starting to do their Knicks chants, that’s when we like to go out into the crowd and get it crazy.”

One of the fans captured by Sidetalk was the TV personality Desus Nice, who was struck by the intensity of the celebration. “They treated a regular-season win like an impromptu Super Bowl parade. People had actually blocked traffic on Seventh Avenue so cars couldn’t go. NYPD was not there. It was pure NYC chaos. It was such a moment,” Desus recalled.

Then the co-host of Showtime’s Desus and Mero, had to quickly decide whether appearing on Sidetalk would be a conflict of interest. “I don’t know what platform this is going to be on. This could possibly violate my contract,” he said. “And then right away I was like, you know what? Fuck it, let’s do it.”

The Bronx native made a move for the microphone, “I’m like, what am I going to say? You got to say something cool. You got to say something iconic. I’m going to be like, Yo, the Knicks run New York City. But because I was so amped and had been yelling for the whole game, you can hear my voice crack as if I’m going through puberty, ” he said. The next day, he showed up to work with his voice shot.

Jacob Forchheimer

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October 25, 2023
Victor Oladipo Wants to Put Out a Song With Damian Lillard

Entering his 10th NBA season, Victor Oladipo—the high-flying vet once recognized as the league’s Most Improved Player—is currently focused on rehabbing a knee injury sustained during the Miami Heat’s improbable dash to the NBA Finals this summer. Rehab, though, is not slowing him down.

The former All-Defensive First Teamer released his third studio album (Tunde, an Afrobeats ode to his Nigerian heritage), plans to record an R&B album next, was spotted courtside at the U.S. Open in New York City, and was otherwise kept busy byt his 19-month-old daughter, Naomi, who he hopes might pick up a tennis racquet one day. Soon, he’ll join his new team, the Houston Rockets, with whom he spent all of two months in 2021.

So yeah, the hooper-slash-singer-slash-father-slash-fashionista doesn’t take many days off. But the versatile playmaker has reached something like a state of zen. After some back and forth calls—he was trying to put his daughter to sleep—GQ linked with the former No. 2 overall draft pick to hear about his growing connection to Africa, the state of U.S. men’s basketball and the importance of listening to your body in a time of adversity.

What has your offseason been like? How’s rehab going?

I’m about four months in right now. I haven’t even started running yet—just to put it into perspective. I’m doing a lot better though. I feel really great. I feel balanced. Overall, I’ve had great days and not so good days but I’ve remained consistent and level headed. With that mindset and approach, there’s always a chance to be successful. My story is a testimony of overcoming, and I’ve done it before.

Do you have a timeline for your return?

Honestly, right now I don’t have a timeline. Right now it’s just waiting and seeing. My body will tell me. I’m just being patient and listening to my body.

Do you think that’s part of your maturity as a person and player? Would the rookie version of yourself have been as patient with this process?

It’s definitely my maturity as a person and player, but also our game. The staff, the medical side, all of it. Everything has evolved since when I was a rookie [in 2013]. Even if I could have wanted to be more patient [back then], who knows, that may not have been pushed when I was younger. But as I’m older, you understand all the other things. You have to do all the little things to make it all work. Now I’m hyper aware of that. I’m aware of what my body needs and what I need to do in order to feel great and that’s what I strive for.

It probably helps that you’ve also endured major injuries in the past—and have bounced back stronger than ever. What shapes your outlook and mindset when you’re working on your return to the court?

My parents are the reason I’m successful. They weren’t perfect by any means, but they really sacrificed and instilled hard work in us. They showed us that to get what you want you have to work for it. They taught us not to settle. Not to give up. It’s funny actually, because I’ve come back from injury after injury after injury, and a lot of people don’t know that my parents came to America [from Nigeria] with nothing and created this lifestyle for four kids. What do you think is harder, know what I’m saying? They instilled that comeback mentality in me before I even understood it. They gave me a constant belief in myself, in my abilities, and in God.

Shout out to immigrant parents. My parents came from Mexico. It’s a certain type of struggle that not every U.S. citizen knows about. Imagine if someone just took us right now and dropped us off in China or Spain or Australia and we just had to figure it out—the language, the culture, the institutions, all of it.

For real. I don’t think people really understand the magnitude of that. We were just babies, and our parents may have been strict with us, but imagine moving to a new place and starting from square one. And then your kids eventually end up with [a combined] twelve degrees? Give them credit.

As a first-generation Nigerian American, have you been able to visit Nigeria and explore your parent’s homeland firsthand?

It’s funny—I’ve never been. Growing up it was always tough to go. An immigrant family with four children. No means. Obviously, I was in the NBA trying to figure things out for my first few years. I was planning to go in 2019, then I got hurt. And I’ve been hurt since that at different points, rehabbing in the summers. So I never got a chance to go. But this year I made a promise to my family that we would go for the first time. So I’ll be going this season. Maybe at the start of the new year, or in the summer. But I’ll be going. I want to make it a big deal. It’s my first time going home. I want it to be great for me and my family. I’m looking forward to it.

You’ve played with a few Nigerian-heritage players: Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent. There’s also a few other guys in the league, like Giannis, who is Nigerian by way of Greece. How do you think the NBA’s All-Nigerian squad would do against the rest of the world, and have you considered playing for Nigeria down the line?

I recently spoke with Gabe about this. You know, South Sudan, they just won [enough games at the FIBA World Cup to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris]. So I’m like, wait a second. Where is our team at? We talked about what needs to happen [for Nigeria] to qualify. I’ve thought about it. To be real, I’d love to represent the Nigerian culture. It just needs to make sense. Lately, I’ve been rehabbing and stuff but if we came together and made it a thing, why not? We’re not qualified for this year’s Olympics, but I wouldn’t mind trying for the future. It would be dope. If others wanted to do that, I would be on board. It would be like a Coming to America situation, and we’d just take all our guys. I think we’d be pretty good.

After the U.S. men’s national team placed fourth at this summer’s FIBA World Cup, reports came out that LeBron wants to gather a U.S. superteam. Did you hear about that? Apparently he’s trying to assemble the Avengers of U.S. players for these upcoming Olympic games.

If he’s getting the American Avengers, then we’ll be the DC Nigerians. Since they’re Marvel, we’ll take DC [Laughs].

I like that. What do you think about the international competition in basketball right now? I’ve seen criticism in the media about U.S. players not being able to win like they used to. Is there any resentment in the NBA about that?

Basketball is a world sport. It doesn’t have a race or nationality. I could care less if you from Pluto, if you’re an alien. If you hoop, you hoop. If you can play, you can play. If you not even from this planet. I don’t care. It’s no shocker that there’s great players across the country and that there’s also great players across the world. The NBA has had European and African talent way before this. Dirk [Nowitzki]. Hakeem [Olajuwan]. [Manu] Ginobli. [Steve] Nash. I don’t necessarily think it’s ever been a secret but it’s widely magnified right now because of social media and globalization. And they are getting better, for sure.

I saw you were at the U.S. Open. How was that? What’s the experience of seeing other top-level athletes competing in another sport?

Honestly, it was like a movie, bro. I thought our lights were bright. But those lights are very bright. Once you go and experience it, you can see that. I was there for the quarter finals. It was super intense in there. But it was a great time. That was my first time. I sat courtside. You know, my dad played tennis. I never really necessarily was super into it because I was a little. I haven’t had a chance to watch it much until recently. I’ve had more time on my hands, and I’ve grown to love it. Naomi, my little daughter, I’d love her to play some day. I want her to see Coco [Gauff] win Grand Slams.

Besides sports, you also make music and just released your third album, Tunde. What’s the story behind that?

It’s an Afrobeats album. I love Afrobeats. It’s out of love and respect for my Nigerian and African people. It’s similar to R&B. Music is a mental release for me. Being able to disconnect from the world and listen to music. Going to the studio, creating. When I got hurt I had more time, obviously. I had 100% more opportunities to do music and things that pertain to music. That’s when I did The Masked Singer. It all opened new doors for me and helped me connect my gift to a wider audience. Music has been that outlet for me in general. With more time on my hands it was a no brainer and I just wanted to make the most of it. There’s no feeling like creating a new song. I wanted to enjoy the process.

Are you working on anything musically right now?

I don’t have anything set in stone but I plan to put out another R&B album. That’s where it all started for me. R&B will never be dead to me. And I definitely want to put out more Afrobeats music. You’ll hear it soon.

Which NBA player would you most like to collaborate with on a song?

Damian Lillard. Hopefully we get an opportunity to collaborate. With injuries and everything, I just haven’t been able to. But I’d love to do that and release something with him. I got stuff coming up that I can send him. That would be special for both of our careers and the game. Everyone would wanna see that. That would be dope.

I’m curious about your time with the Miami Heat. Being around Jimmy Butler, Erik Spoelstra. The team made an unexpected NBA Finals appearance last season. What did you gain from your time in South Beach? Is it really true what they say down there about Heat Culture?

Well, first and foremost, I just want to make clear that there was some narrative about me only wanting to be [in Miami]. I never once in my life said that I wanted to be a Heatle. It just marinated and manifested on its own. Before I was [a player on the Heat], I was working out there in 2015, and I didn’t get traded there ‘til 2021. The media made their own story about all that. But I had a great experience there. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as I planned, but I learned so much there and from the guys that I can take forward in my career and show that I’m still one of the best two-way players in the world. Being around great coaches and players, it’s really a skill that people don’t realize. Winning is a skill. It separates that organization from some other ones. They just know how to win. That’s the culture. That’s what we learn from the beginning of training camp. If you’re not there to win, they’ll get you where you need to be. You can’t do nothing but respect that. It was amazing to be around that kind of talent, you know? Jimmy? He’s super underrated. His talent is insane. He will keep being successful and people will see one day. I also had the chance to play with Kevin Love, [Kyle] Lowry, [Tyler] Herro, Bam. So many great young and older players there. I gained a lot.

I’ve heard some inspiring—and funny—stories about Coach Spo and how he connects with everyone. What’s a memory you have of him?

Spo is a legend. His resume speaks for itself. When you have a great relationship with a coach, it transfers to the game. One time I had a meeting with him right before a playoff game against Milwaukee. I went in to talk to him—I remember going into his room and he had seven dry-erase boards, maybe more, completely full. That is the epitome of who he is. He does what it takes. That’s why his success might be a shock to most but not to those who know him and have been around him. He works hard. And he takes the time to continue growing, even with the success [he has had]. He still has the same edge and competitiveness, every day. You have to play hard for someone like that.

It seems like no amount of planning could’ve stopped the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. You’ve seen them up close. What makes Jokic so unstoppable? There was controversy about him potentially winning a third consecutive MVP. Is he worthy?

If you watch the game and pay attention to possessions, I don’t have to explain anything. Every game he beat us in a different way. One game he had a triple-double. Another game, a double-double. Another, he let his teammate have 30. He can just beat you in multiple ways. He’s highly skilled. He can lead the fast break. He runs the offense. He’s a big who can post. He catches it high, low, on the wing, at the top of the key. It’s hard to scout and plan for someone who can be so effective from so many places on the floor. He’s the Joker, so you know can make tricky passes. Just watch the games. You’ll see how special he is. I remember playing Denver earlier in the season, and they were missing four starters, but he played. I didn’t play because I was injured. But I was watching him closely and they beat us. He was phenomenal. He made everyone around him better. That’s really what makes you a special player in this league: that no matter who is with them, you always have a chance to win when they’re out there.

Did you know some fans on NBA Twitter call you Oladefense, for your defensive prowess? Is that a part of your game that you take particular pride in?

[Laughs.] I did not know that. I’m definitely an elite two way player. Defense is important to me. For a long time that’s what kept me on the floor in high school games. I was voted [national] Defensive Player of the Year in college, and also in high school. I was All-Defensive First Team in the NBA. That’s been my game my whole life. I play at a high level on both ends. So hell yeah, I love defense. I hate it when people score on me. I hate it when people make a good move on me.

What are you most looking forward to in your return to the court?

The biggest thing is being able to play. Honestly. And winning. Just doing what it takes to win. I have had the opportunity to experience success with a few teams now. There’s no way that doesn’t translate.

What message do you have for fans about this upcoming season?

The biggest thing is that it ain’t over. When I hurt myself [in April], my first thought was it’s over. But this shit ain’t over. I want to show others their own strength. I want everyone to understand their blessings. I want to shock the world again. I just keep climbing that mountain. I’ll see y’all at the top.

Alan Chazaro

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October 24, 2023
NBA Referee Che Flores on Becoming the First Out Trans and Nonbinary Ref in American Pro Sports

“Once I was on the court, I fell in love with it,” Flores says. It felt like a natural way to earn some cash and stay involved with the sport they loved. And, increasingly, gender didn’t seem like a barrier to a career at the highest levels of the game. “I had no idea to what degree, but I do remember Violet Palmer being in the NBA and she was the only different one out of that entire staff,” Flores says, referring to the league’s first female ref. “And that was some sort of glimmer of hope, like, Oh, is the NBA actually a destination?”

Despite their initial reticence, Flores immediately took to reffing, and their talent got noticed. It’s a long climb from high school games to the premier pro basketball league in the world, but referees share a special comradeship, and tend to look out for one another. (They also, it turns out, have lives off of the basketball court: Flores is a capable stick-and-poke tattoo artist, and in our interview revealed they were the “mystery ref” who gave soccer star Megan Rapinoe a tattoo during their final night in the Wubble, the WNBA’s pandemic campus.) They are bonded by a strange shared experience: fans usually only remember the officiating from a game if they really hated it. Veteran officials tend to look out for budding talent and establish mentor relationships early on to help them climb through the ranks. That summer, Flores started to get invited to camps, where refs get their “true training.”

“We would come in and then every referee would assess every other referee, and we would all decide collectively who would move on and who would literally get voted off the island,” Flores says. “It was like Survivor with referees.”

Billy Kennedy, the veteran NBA ref, remembers noticing Flores at those camps, where, he says, “the cream will rise to the top. Che is one of those that has risen to the top and has done it all on their own.”

By 2012, Flores was working a year-round schedule as a referee for the NCAA, NBA G League, and WNBA, a grueling grind they more or less kept up for 10 years. “I was working five days a week,” they say. “There was really no off-season.” They would work a game, then catch a flight to the next city that night or early the next morning. Professional leagues take care of referees’ travel accommodations, but NCAA refs act as independent contractors, and are responsible for making their own schedules and booking their own travel, which can make for some dizzying calculations. “If I work for four different college supervisors for any of the Power Fives, I’m getting schedules from all four of them, and I have to decide which games I’m taking,” Flores explains. “With that, I have to look at the next four months and make sure I don’t double book, [and that] I’m able to get to Billings, Montana, from Florida State.”

Emma Carmichael

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October 23, 2023
Terrell Suggs Still Doesn’t Like the Steelers

For really the entire 21st century, there has not been a force in professional football quite like the Baltimore Ravens. Since the 2000 season, only the Patriots have won more Super Bowls, and while the Pats built their franchise around a golden boy quarterback, the Ravens have always been about defense. Terrell Suggs was a pillar of that defense for 16 sizzling years. He joined the squad as a first-round pick in 2003, and by the time he left Baltimore in 2019, his resume included a Defensive Player of the Year award, seven Pro Bowls, the franchise sack record, and a 2012 Super Bowl ring he won just months after tearing his Achilles.

Nowadays, he’s mostly chilling at home in Phoenix. His daughter spends her summers playing for Team Durant and Suggs, who was always one of the scariest dudes on the field, promises he’s not one of those sports parents who’s always yelling at the refs. That gridiron intensity is what made him so beloved in Baltimore, though, and this weekend he will officially become one of the city’s immortals. At halftime of the Ravens’ game against the Lions, all eyes will be on T-Sizzle as his name is added to the Ring of Honor at M&T Bank Stadium. Ahead of the ceremony, Suggs gave us a call.

Are you not entertained?

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

How did you get the news that you were being inducted into the Ring of Honor?

It was a phone call out of the blue. They was like, “Yeah, um, we just want you to know that we’re going to induct you in the Ring of Honor this year.” I was like, for real? I’m one of those guys that was really humble, you know what I mean? I didn’t expect that call to come. It’s one of those things you hope for, but you’re not really sitting around waiting on a phone call saying you’ll get inducted. Fortunately, mine’s is coming up.

This was never something you thought about when you were playing?

Not at all. As Ravens, we never played for those kinds of accolades or achievements. We played for each other, loved the game, and loved what we were doing. It all just happened to pan out this way. I’m fortunate enough to be branded a Raven for life.

You just never know. You never know who makes those decisions or what they’re thinking or what goes into it. You don’t know! With something that’s not in your hands, you don’t really want to have your mind occupied with it. It was more like, okay! I guess that’s pretty awesome!

What are your favorite memories from M&T Bank Stadium? You’re going to be part of it forever now!

Definitely our battles against the Steelers. Opening day 2011, after they had just knocked us out of the playoffs, that would be my second favorite. But my first is Ray Lewis’ last ride, when we went on the Super Bowl run, when we all came out the tunnel for the last time with each other. That was a playoff game against the Colts.

Did you actually hate the players on the Steelers, or did you just hate them because they were the Steelers and you were the Ravens?

It went hand-in-hand, especially with guys like Hines Ward and James Harrison. We didn’t like them. It wasn’t a hate, like if we saw them on the street we weren’t going to get in a brawl. Nah, it wasn’t that kind of hate. It was a football rivalry. Their flag vs. our flag kind of thing.

Matthew Roberson

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October 20, 2023
The Texas Rangers Have Embraced Creed with Arms Wide Open

During the MLB postseason, teams will take any advantage they can get. A seemingly innocuous thing can become a powerful motivating factor. Like, say, the squirrel that dashed across the field during a 2011 Cardinals playoff series, powering St. Louis all the way to the World Series and earning its own Wikipedia page. For the last two years, the himbo Phillies have used the club anthem “Dancing On My Own” (though, sadly, not the original Robyn version) to soundtrack their champagne celebrations. This year, the Texas Rangers have adopted their very own, very specific tunes. They are being taken higher, to a place with golden streets. That’s right: they’re getting pumped up by listening to Creed.

Creed, for the uninformed, is a band of Florida men who made extremely popular music in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. And facts are facts: the 2023 Rangers, who are on the cusp of a World Series appearance, possibly would not be in this position if not for Creed. But, to put it as bluntly as possible, Creed is not exactly relevant anymore—and they’ve long been the butt of jokes in the music world. While their turn-of-the-century banger “With Arms Wide Open” won them a Grammy for Best Rock Song, it is also older than Rangers’ left fielder Evan Carter, who was born in 2002—and revealed that the Rangers now have Creed-related handshakes. So, how did the Rangers end up appreciating the lyricism of lead singer Scott Stapp? Let shortstop Corey Seager explain.

“It’s something to bond over,” Seager told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That’s the hard thing about teams, right? You have people coming in and out. How do you gel? How do you come together? How do you fight for each other? You find little ways on different teams, and that’s one of our ways.” Sure! The entire Rangers’ universe seems to be on board with this. Earlier in the postseason, as the Rangers were sweeping aside the overmatched Baltimore Orioles, their entire stadium took part in some Creed karaoke.

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Matthew Roberson

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October 19, 2023