Victor Wembanyama wasn’t the best player selected in the 2023 NBA draft Thursday night.
Not even close.
What? You disagree?
OK, sure, the French player who was selected No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs may be a generational talent and all, but what does that have to do with ...
Oh, wait.
The 2023 NBA draft is underway at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with No. 1 overall pick.
Sorry, it seems a word was dropped from that first sentence. Let’s try this again:
Wembanyama wasn’t the best dressed player selected in the 2023 NBA draft Thursday night.
Sure, the 7-foot-4 center looked sharp strolling to the stage in his all-green ensemble after Commissioner Adam Silver called his name.
But where were the sequins? The fancy sneakers? The multicolored teeth?
With 32 of the 58 draftees on hand for the festivities at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, plenty of fashion statements were made. Here’s a look at some of them:
Former Kansas guard Gradey Dick went for it. Maybe a little too much. But the 13th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors certainly made an impression in his ruby red-sequined jacket and turtleneck, with black pants and black shoes (with ruby red bottoms!).
He said the look was a nod to his home state, inspired by “The Wizard of Oz.”
“So I’m from Kansas,” the Wichita native said in a predraft video tweeted by the NBA. “Dorothy’s got her little slippers, I got my Dorothy suit.”
Dick went on to describe the medallion he wore on a chain around his neck as “subtle.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr., who helped spearhead UCLA’s resurgence into an NCAA powerhouse, was selected No. 18 overall by the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA draft.
Trust us, nothing about his look was subtle.
Former NBA G League player Scoot Henderson, selected third overall by the Portland Trail Blazers was nearly as shiny in his black suit, adorned with a multitude of sparkling, colorful jewels in festive patterns.
“All the jewels on this — the colors — are birthstones of my siblings, my family and my parents, so that’s what it is,” Henderson said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” ahead of the draft. “My brothers are on my back — they protect me at all costs.”
Those birthstones could also be found hanging around his neck — and even in his mouth.
Perhaps it was a bit toasty inside Barclays Center — and maybe that’s why at least 10 of the players in attendance opted to go sock free on the biggest night of their lives.
The heat must have really gotten unbearable by the time former Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin was selected by the Atlanta Hawks at No. 15 overall and former UCLA guard Amari Bailey was taken by the Charlotte Hornets at No. 41 overall. Shirts are overrated anyway.
Eight players wore black. Five others went with navy.
But some players were much more adventurous with their colors. Former Central Florida forward Taylor Hendricks, selected ninth overall by the Utah Jazz, went with an all-pink outfit and white basketball shoes. Former Alabama forward Noah Clowney, drafted at No. 21 overall by the Brooklyn Nets, chose an orange suit to go with his white sneaks.
Former Marquette forward and No. 24 pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who will be traded to the Dallas Mavericks after being drafted by the Sacramento Kings, wore a purple suit with dressy black slip-on shoes (a popular choice among the sockless players).
Lots of great looks to choose from — but the nod here goes to former Kentucky guard Cason Wallace, who was selected at No. 10 overall and will play for the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded by the Mavericks.
Wallace went all out, starting with his black coat with “HPT” in red scattered all over. He explained on ESPN’s broadcast that the letters stand for “the neighborhood I grew up in in Dallas — Hamilton Park, Texas.” The jacket’s inner lining features numerous family photos.
The Lakers selected Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino with the 17th pick and Pepperdine’s Maxwell Lewis with the 40th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft.
The ensemble also includes a red vest, black shirt, red bow tie and pocket handkerchief, red pants, no socks, black slip-on dress shoes and at least two chains and a large, rectangular medallion. It’s really a quite spiffy and spectacular look.
Honorable mentions go to Henderson and former Baylor guard Keyonte George, who was selected at No. 16 overall.
The Clippers selected forwards Kobe Brown of Missouri and Jordan Miller of Miami in Thursday’s NBA draft after three-team trade talks broke down.
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