2018 NBA Draft
The best style moments at the 2018 NBA draft
The 2018 draft had some of the most adventurous, daring and polished styles the league has seen yet
3:22 PMNBA draft style has come a long way since the days of those Jalen Rose-style suits. Despite their young ages, the first- and second-round draft picks for the NBA have some of the most adventurous, daring and polished styles the league has seen yet. We might even see one of these upstarts snatch Russell Westbrook’s crown, as he is arguably the most stylish player in the NBA.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Kentucky) stays loose pre-draft.
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Detail of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s suit.
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Miles Bridges brushes his hair before the draft.
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The 2018 NBA draft, including the first and second rounds at the Barclays Center. (Mark Peterson for ESPN)
The 2018 NBA draft, including the first and second rounds at the Barclays Center. (Mark Peterson for ESPN)
Jerome Robinson (Boston College) arrives at the draft.
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Michael Porter Jr. ponders pre-draft.
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The 2018 NBA draft, including the first and second rounds at the Barclays Center. (Mark Peterson for ESPN)
Mark Peterson for ESPN
Mo Bamba takes a photo of his watch at the draft.
Mark Peterson for ESPN
The 2018 NBA draft, including the first and second rounds at the Barclays Center. (Mark Peterson for ESPN)
Dzanan Musa waits before being selected No. 29 by the Brooklyn Nets.
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Collin Sexton’s new Cleveland Cavaliers hat matches his suit, the same colors as his alma mater Alabama.
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Mikal Bridges enters the draft wearing a 76ers hat that matches his suit.
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Marvin Bagley III looking dapper in a gray tuxedo.
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Kevin Knox shows off his three-piece suit during the draft.
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Detail from Michael Porter Jr.’s suit.
Mark Peterson for ESPN
The 2018 NBA draft, including the first and second rounds at the Barclays Center. Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke), channeling T’Challa aka Black Panther, and Kevin Knox (Kentucky) hang out on stage pre-draft.
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Suits and watches details from NBA draft.
Mark Peterson for ESPN
Loafers were a popular footwear choice among the draftees.
Mark Peterson for ESPN
Another example of loafers being a popular choice of footwear for the draftees.
Mark Peterson for ESPN
Culture
Marvin Bagley III is droppin’ bars already
MB3FIVE is all about the rivalry on his debut mixtape, and I’m here for that
4:00 PMAllen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Lonzo Ball and Damian Lillard — the list of NBA players who’ve tried to double as MCs is extensive, to say the least. Both Kobe and A.I. should’ve just stuck to basketball, while Lonzo and Damian showed obvious skill.
Before even hearing his name called at the NBA draft, former Duke Blue Devil Marvin Bagley III has become one of the league’s best MCs after dropping his debut mixtape late Wednesday night. Rapping under the alias MB3FIVE, the timing of Don’t Blink was perfect — released late enough that it wouldn’t affect his draft stock, yet early enough that no subject matter was off-limits.
Mixtape out now on…
Audiomack: https://t.co/CxrOObz37F
SoundCloud: https://t.co/gsrEjWr7rD#JREAM #DontBlink pic.twitter.com/J8LR2Ud8tT— Marvin Bagley III (@MB3FIVE) June 21, 2018
In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting much. Bagley is a 6-foot-11 power forward from Tempe, Arizona, who attended Duke University. Last time I checked, those characteristics don’t scream talented rapper. Boy, was I wrong.
What initially drew me in was his beat selection. Rapping over classics from the early 2000s such as Fabolous’ “Breathe” and Nas’ “Made You Look” as well as a gem from the legendary 9th Wonder, Bagley displayed maturity beyond his years. None of this was more apparent than on the standout track “All-Americans,” in which he tackles the topic of police brutality.
There, the Duke standout displays a level of vulnerability that is rarely seen in 19-year-olds on their way to making millions. He empathizes with families who’ve lost sons and daughters at the hands of police while expressing his own fear that it could happen to him.
Fellow rapper/hooper Iman Shumpert once described rapping as his “escape from the floor,” a therapeutic way to express himself in the face of criticism. I would guess the same holds true for Bagley, who used Don’t Blink partly to let out some pent-up aggression. On “Breathe,” Bagley addresses Scott Bordow, a reporter for AZCentral who criticized his move from Hillcrest Prep in 2015. On “Made You Look (Remix),” Bagley sends some subs at those from the Phoenix area who claimed Deandre Ayton was a “homegrown talent.” Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, played his final two years of high school ball in Phoenix (one with Bagley) before his lone season at Arizona.
Bruh… this diss track tho.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 @MB3FIVE pic.twitter.com/88UQ8vWEZ1
— Duke in the NBA (@DukeNBA) June 21, 2018
If most mock drafts hold true, Ayton will be selected first overall by the Phoenix Suns, with Bagley going No. 2 to the Sacramento Kings. Through a creative use of David Stern announcing the first and second picks of the 2007 NBA draft, Bagley seems to take solace in being second. Whether intentional or not, it’s difficult to overlook the inherent shade of using a sound bite from the same draft where the first overall pick, Greg Oden, was arguably one of the biggest busts of all time.
NBA fans will just have to wait and see if the diss was intentional. Personally, I’m here for the controversy. The Suns and Kings are both part of the Pacific Division, which would mean four Ayton-Bagley matchups a year. Call me selfish, but the possibility of a burgeoning divisional rivalry is too good to pass up.
Television
Chris Paul’s and Stephen Curry’s families face off on ‘Family Feud’
Paul: ‘I’m blessed. We’re all blessed to have each other.’
3:45 PMWhen it comes to motivation, whether on the basketball court or off, Chris Paul finds strength in family.
“Basketball is not who I am; it’s not who this family is,” said Paul to The Undefeated. “We’ve figured that out a long time ago.”
So it was a no-brainer for the Houston Rockets point guard to show off his family’s smarts in a jovial yet competitive game of Celebrity Family Feud.
Last month, Paul and the Rockets fell to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference finals. But now on a clean slate of friendly competition, the Paul and Curry families will compete on the show hosted by Steve Harvey on June 24 at 7 p.m. EDT on ABC. Joining Chris are his wife, Jada, his older brother C.J., his mother, Robin, and his father, Charles. And with Stephen Curry are his wife, Ayesha, his younger sister, Sydel, his mother, Sonya, and his father, Dell.
This is the Pauls’ third time on Celebrity Family Feud, and this time they rocked the money color green.
When asked what prompted the team’s color, Paul gave the credit to his wife and his mother: “The women speak, I follow.”
(From left to right) Charles Paul, Robin Paul, Chris Paul, Jada Paul and C.J. Paul will compete against Stephen Curry and family on Celebrity Family Feud.
Byron Cohen/ABC via Getty Images
Paul’s father, Charles, shared the lesson that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Paul family. “Never forget family.”
And Paul has put those words into action by creating a family hustle.
“We’ve got a real team,” he said. “C.J. handles the business side of things, and my mom handles a lot with the foundation. Then my dad manages just about everything and my wife manages at home [and our personal lives]. So for me, I got the easy part. I’m blessed. We’re all blessed to have each other.”
The Pauls are strongest when united, unless they are playing golf, spades or taboo, the game where Jada Paul is the champ in the family.
But even with fun, there’s structure. Growing up, both Paul and C.J. Paul weren’t allowed to play sports if they didn’t have a 3.0 GPA.
“Even though we only needed a 2.0 to play in school, our parents set a higher standard for us,” said Paul. “And we keep that going with our kids too.”
Since making his NBA debut in 2005, Paul has many basketball accolades: nine-time All-Star, All-Star MVP, a double Olympic gold medalist, National Basketball Players Association president. But even as a world-class athlete, he’s most proud to wear the titles of father, husband, brother and son.
Trailer drops for ‘Creed II’ — and we’re in
Coogler, Jordan, Thompson and Stallone all make a comeback
5:01 PMWe’ll still have to wait another five months before we can see the highly anticipated sequel to 2015’s gripping Creed, but today, fans got their first glimpse at where this next chapter is taking us — and, not for nothing, Creed II looks amazing.
As a refresher: Black Panther director Ryan Coogler reinvigorated one of the best sports franchises of all time when he successfully — and impressively, we might add — persuaded Sylvester Stallone to allow him to move forward with a script he and Aaron Covington, a film school friend, wrote about the unknown son of fictional boxer Apollo Creed. Turned out to be one of the best green lights ever, considering Stallone earned an Oscar nomination, his second acting nod, for the role of Rocky Balboa.
And we got to see Michael B. Jordan bring to life Adonis, and with his love interest played by Tessa Thompson he gave us depth and compassion and made fans fall in love all over again with the boxing movie genre.
In this new film, which opens Thanksgiving, we see Adonis take on his biggest opponent yet: the son of Ivan Drago, who was the villain of Rocky IV. Coogler produces this new film, and Steven Caple Jr., who also hails from Coogler’s beloved Oakland, California, directs.
If you follow Jordan on Instagram — and you should — then surely you’ve seen his intense fitness routine that quite literally has gotten him back into fighting shape. At one point in the trailer, we see Adonis fight-training underwater inside of a pool! This new trailer only gives us a quick snippet, but it also appears that Adonis and Bianca (Thompson) have started a family, so there’s a lot on the line this go-round.
Can Adonis be the masterful fighter that his legendary father was? And can he stay alive while working on that goal? Guess we’ll have to wait a few more months before finding out!