SUIT UP-OR SHUT UP: CHARLES OAKLEY ON THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY IN NBA STYLE
Charles Oakley represents the old school. Although the six-foot-nine power forward was a clotheshorse, he was also one of the hardest-nosed players ever towear warm-ups-and he still takes suiting up seriously. "When we get a contract, that's our job," he says. "You got to come to work and be aprofessional-and look like a professional." In other words: You wear a suit.
The outspoken 45-year-old former All-Star was one of the few players who voiced support for the NBA's dress-code, which was instituted in 2005, and when wesat down with him to discuss the state of NBA style, he couldn't hide his displeasure at professional basketball players' slovenly ways. "Whywould I want to look like someone laying on the sidewalk can't get no food, can't get this, can't get that, can't get a suit and wear it on aconsistent basis?! It's embarrassing." As with any career, however, Oakley knows that dressing for the job is not enough to help you excel."I'm not going to sell all that," he says, breaking into a smile. "I hope no one's going to buy $20,000 worth of clothes and think thatmeans they'll get 20 points that night. Just shoot."
Check out the photo gallery to see which players, coaches, owners, and announcers meet Oakley's sartorial standards-and who fouls out.
DWYANE WADE, Miami Heat
"D. Wade can dress," Oakley says. "It's a different style." Away from the arena "he can get a little preppy sometimes, but, youknow, some things don't call for suits, so I'm not mad at him. I see Wade, and he can dress. "
DWIGHT HOWARD, Orlando Magic
"I think Dwight dresses more old-school-nice shoes, straight tie," Oakley says. "I don't really see too may other guys who ride it up likethat on a consistent basis."
TYSON CHANDLER, Charlotte Bobcats
"You know who does dress real nice this season? Tyson Chandler," Oakley says emphatically. "He dress European-but he dress nice. I mean, when hewas out in Chicago, it really got better. I really like that scene. Suit, tie-New Orleans, same way. Now Charlotte is the same way-consistent. He's all in.He looks good."
KOBE BRYANT, Los Angeles Lakers
"Kobe has, you know, European style," Oakley says of the Lakers star, who spent part of his upbringing in Italy. "But you know he has his days.I like Kobe," Oakley adds. Stylistically, "I am one of his fans."
LEBRON JAMES, Cleveland Cavaliers
In suits and casual clothes, Oakley says, "LeBron dresses the European style. He has the tight shirt, the sweaters." King James is one of those whocan pull the look off, according to Oakley, a Cleveland native. "Everything doesn't look good on everybody. I see a lot of people that shouldn'twear tight stuff, who do wear tight stuff. It's embarrassing."
PHIL JACKSON, Los Angeles Lakers
"He wears suits, so I have no problem with Phil Jackson," Oakley says of the barrel-chested six-foot-eight head coach of the Lakers. "For a bigguy, he has a little style."
MARK CUBAN, Dallas Mavericks
"I love Cuban. Cuban, he's got his own way." Pause. But "he dresses like Hulk Hogan-he wears T-Shirts. . . . Man, I don't know."Two head shakes suggest otherwise-Oakley does know: A billionaire can dictate his own style but that doesn't make it good style.
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, Cleveland Cavaliers
"Shaq can kind of dress. I like Shaq-he tries to dress. He tries to throw the suit on." It's not lost on Oakley that being seven-foot-onepresents challenges that just tall guys don't face. Narrow lapels and one-button suits are awkward, he admits, "like straight leg jeans-they'dlook weird on me, too." But it's not hard "You find a tailor, you pick the material and 'Can you make a suit for a seven-two guy?' Itain't that much different-just three or four inches taller than me." The problem is that some guys are left to their own tastes. "A lot of guysdon't know what they want, you know. So guys go and start getting all these zippers and all these buttons-that's different." And not in a goodway.
PAU GASOL, Los Angeles Lakers
"Pau Gasol is one of the best players in the game. They say he's soft. but he's soft with a lot of tension. He's got game," Oakley saysby way of disclaimer, because the Spanish forward is so . . . so . . ."-"Scruffy" is the word Oakley agrees with. Head shake. "I don'tknow, you know." More head shakes. "You know he went from Memphis to . . . Now he's with the Lakers, so he's seen with a lot of styles."Conclusion: There is still hope.
CHARLES BARKLEY, TNT
"Barkley-you know, he's an $$%*#$@. He's the only one who speaks his mind. Barkley maybe is the worst, but he gets away with everything."Oakley scowls at the mention of the Round Mound of Rebound's wardrobe-known to include garishly colored safari suits and muumuu-esque, tentlike tops-but heconfesses that when he gets up from the announcer's desk, "I'm not thinking about the way he dresses." In Oakley's mind, there's onesimple thing Barkley can do to look better on TV: "Don't show up."
STAN VAN GUNDY, Orlando Magic
"Yeah I'm not into what he wears. He dresses terrible." Just like his sibling Jeff, Oakley's coach in New York and again in Houston."You know a lot of guys they wear a suit because they have to wear it."
GEORGE KARL, Denver Nuggets
"Terrible. Terrible," Oakley says. Karl's sin is the fashion equivalent of a technical foul-yes, technically he's wearing suits, butthey're embarrassments. "Man, I think he get's his suits for free"-Oakley catches himself indulging in hyperbole-"He gets $100 suits. Ithink he gets 10 suits for $1,000."
LARRY BROWN, Charlotte Bobcats
"Larry Brown is a great dresser. He's got a different look. He wears a solid suit with a white shirt, a hankie, and a solid tie. I wouldn't saystockbroker, but a real clean look." Oakley says. "You always look at how your boss carries himself. That is the coach. I think that every coachshould have a jacket and tie on. But now they are getting a little more casual-Don Nelson doesn't wear a tie anymore at all."
WALT CLYDE FRAZIER, MSG
"Clyde's got his own style. The thing about Clyde is he's consistent you know-a trendsetter in all ways," Oakley says of the Knicks Hall ofFamer turned color commentator, who's never quite shaken the fashion flair of his 1970s heyday. "I'm like Clyde in a way. I don't changestyles because someone else said this or that style is in. I don't get into that-I wear my suit, I wear my jacket, I wear my shirt and ties. I'm notgoing to go out and buy this every six months because somebody said it's a style. I'm just going to get what looks good on me. My style is what Ilike."