The Best Beards in Basketball
Beards have forever been a polarizing symbol of manhood, strength, courage, and power. Combine beards with the glorious sport of basketball and you experience an explosive concoction of manliness, athleticism, and hairy sweat. Beards in basketball are a miraculous occurrence due to their diverse shapes, styles, and utilization. With the month of November being notorious for providing an excuse for men everywhere to go without shaving, a look at beards in basketball merits closer examination. In honor of “No-Shave November”, here are the best beards in basketball today.
James Harden
James Harden’s beard reigns supreme in NBA. No other beard compares to that of the Houston Rockets dynamic guard. Harden’s beard has become a part of his persona on the court, and it is painful to even imagine his face without that beard on it. Harden’s beard played as a a pioneer of sorts, due to its influence on the NBA’s acceptance and trebdtowards beards. Harden paved the path of beard-growing, and has set the bar high for the rest of the aspiring NBA bearded men.
Aron Baynes
If Baynes’ name didn’t sound familiar, you should recognize his unique beard accompanied by the extreme ninja top-knot man bun. This beard is respectable due to its red hue and looks great next to the contrasted white shaved head. Baynes is also Australian, which automatically makes his beard a must-see. Baynes looks much cooler with his newly-styled hair and beard, and is working on making his mark in the NBA.
Nikola Mirotic
Nikola Mirotic’s beard is darker than the darkest corner of the deepest cave. If you can’t tell the difference between Mirotic and Andrew Luck, you clearly cannot identify a quality beard. Mirotic’s beard is far greater than Luck’s. Some say that Mirotic is developing quite well as an NBA player, but maybe his beard should be given more credit for his exposure into the basketball world.
Chris Andersen
Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s greatest days of play are clearly behind him. What’s not behind him though? Great beard growth. Andersen is still sporting his rugged, out-of-eff’s beard, and it still a wonderful and respectable beard.
Kyle O’Quinn
With arguably one of the thickest beards in the NBA, Kyle O’Quinn looks like his beard has been photo-shopped It looks quite fake on TV, but still deserves respect for looking so nice and fluffy. O’Quinn may not catch your attention with his play, but as soon as he steps on the court, his beard changes the game.
Dirk Nowitzki
Yes, the photo above is not recent. But that does not negate the fact that Dirk’s beard was epic. When Dirk’s beard and hair were let loose, the NBA gained an immense product. The way it swayed around while Nowitzki drained one-footed fadeaways is something that will not soon be forgotten.
Patty Mills
Another great Aussie beard.
Robin Lopez
With possibly one of the best beard-hair combos in the league, Lopez looks like he should be on the cover of a reggae album.
Greg Popovich
Beards are a clear sign of intelligence, and has never been so true as it is with Pop. Popovich is one of the few coaches in the league to sport a beard, and he can certainly pull it off. The white beard is a great beard to have for an aged fellow.
