NBA Draft Suits 2018: An Exhaustive Ranking

The NBA draft was on Thursday and it was full of the usual flury of trades, Adam Silver handshakes and (most importantly) unique fashion choices. Because I’m opinionated fan of athletic aesthetics, I’ve decided to rank them.

Let’s iron out a few details before beginning. (1) I’ll only be ranking the suits of the 19 players in this picture, the ones who were invited to sit in the green room. Other players were there and were drafted, but using these 19 should make it easy. (2) There were very few BAD suits in this draft compared to prior years, most are fairly conservative, making this tough. That being said, this ranking will look favorably upon creativity, provided it isn’t distasteful. (3) This ranking will also take into account the presentation of the fit (abbreviation for outfit), as things like untucked collars and crooked ties will influence how it is perceived.

That’s it. We’ll start with the worst and work down to the best.

19: Trae Young

Maybe Trae Young was hoping that Cleveland would take him, and so he decided that wearing shorts with a suit would align him with Lebron James (who did that during the Finals). Maybe he chose the dark maroon color because it matches the Cleveland primary color. Either way, it’s a no (and the Cavs didn’t take him). Did Trae learn nothing from Draymond Green at last year’s NBA awards? Suits and shorts don’t go together. Express Men (and all the elite fashion work they’ve done) hooked him up for draft night, but it’s not a style I hope to see them repeat. Least favorite of the draft and it isn’t close.

18: Kevin Knox

The kid from Kentucky went with a three piece (cool) where each piece is a different color/pattern (less cool), and the lining of the jacket says “Fortnite” (so very not cool). The vest is pretty low-cut, which gives the whole thing a cardigan-under-a-suit vibe when he buttons the jacket. Not a good vibe to have. Then we have basing your identity on the biggest night of your life off of a video game so much so that you have the title of it sewn into the lining of your jacket. Miss me with this look, but the Knicks got a good pick with Knox.

17: Miles Bridges

Bridges wore a two-piecer from Saks Fifth Avenue for the special night. Bridges does what Saks has been doing since before 1900: keeping it simple. It’s a fine suit, but so boring. The blue shirt, red tie look is what I expect to see at my high school Model UN conference, not on NBA draft night. Additionally, the collar is too big and kept popping outside of his jacket during the draft. Maybe it doesn’t deserve to be this high, but I’m a harsh grader.

16: Chandler Hutchinson

The Boise State wing chose to rep his college’s football field with this all-blue suit. Not really that bad of a look, but I take issue with the material. It’s so shiny. It’s reflecting more light than Adam Silver’s head in this picture. The material of the suit is also really susceptible to lines, and all the movement throughout the night has left some ill-advised creases in Hutchinson’s fit.

15: Luca Doncic

The 19-year-old’s age showed with this high school freshman homecoming dance outfit. Pretty plain, not customized, and looks like he grabbed it off a rack at Nordstrom Rack. Consolidation points for that nice watch peeking out beneath the suit, but for a European guy I expected a much flashier, less conservative suit choice. I love his fit in Dallas, but I don’t love his fit on draft night.

14: Aaron Holiday

I’ve never loved maroon blazers (see Trae Young ranking), but it doesn’t look bad on the former UCLA guard. Adding the black shirt, however, gave the whole suit a vibe that was a bit too dark and without contrast. The necklace over the shirt is another piece I’m not too fond of, reminds me of the Lonzo Ball outfit from last year. It’s plain enough that it’s inoffensive, but not special enough to get a lower ranking.

13: Donte Divincenzo

Now we’re starting to get into suits that I like, but aren’t creative enough to put them inside the top half of the rankings. The Villanova swingman’s outfit is pretty average, and his jacket seems too short. It’s adolescent, but maybe that’s his style. This tweet sums it up pretty well. Bonus points for the shoes: Brown double monk straps.

12: Mo Bamba

Let me take a second to address Mo Bamba’s basketball skill and say he’s going to be the best player in this draft in four years. Just wanted to have that on record. Bamba went navy, gray, and black for his colors - very simple. Again, there is no glaring issue with outfit, but it ranks here because of simplicity. Bamba was fortunate enough to get drafted to a team whose hat’s color scheme matches his suit, something my OCD loves to see.

11: Zhaire Smith

My apologies for the TMZ watermark, but I wanted to include his shoes: the only problem with the outfit. Smith wore Del Toro cork loafers, usually a style and brand I can get behind, but here they seem out of place. His belt and his tie are both dark, providing a nice contrast to the bright suit, but then he goes and grabs the light cork shoes and throws it all off. Also, with that color, I keep thinking the Texas Tech product went to UNC. The patterned shirt and Puma lapel pin are both on point, as is the entire fit minus the shoes.

10: DeAndre Ayton

The number one overall pick chose a fine, middle-of-the-road suit for his draft night. The dark blue (with a faint plaid pattern) three piece suit combined with a light pink shirt is pretty clean, but I can’t figure out why he added the lime green pocket handkerchief. It doesn’t completely clash, just strikes me as an odd choice in the fairly conservative outfit. Perhaps the lime green hints at the flags sewn in on the inside of hit suit, representing his parent’s nationalities. The suit also seems quite big (yes, I know he’s a big guy) and loose fitting in an age where making everything tight is the common trend.

9: Jerome Robinson

Robinson is Boston College’s first ever lottery pick and he represented them well on Thursday night in a three piece royal blue fit. I really like the jacket choice, and extra credit for the fact that the Clippers colors match it (and that he wore a tie clip). He also rocked a pair of loafers that matched both the watch and the vest. Despite this start, the vest/tie/shirt combination is a bit cluttered, with bold vertical stripes on both the shirt and the vest. Overall, a strong outfit, but we have to find some way to separate the good from the great.

8: Jaren Jackson Jr.

One of the most memorable of the night. Jackson’s jacket reminds me of a sparkling wine: Rich in color at the bottom and almost bubbles as it reflects light towards the top. Whether that was the 18-year-old’s intention is doubtful, but I respect the boldness of this choice. His JC Penney suit was lined with a valuable motto, “Rock the vote.” Promoting the civic duty of voting is something I can definitely get behind, and credit to Jackson for using his platform to do so. So why is he only at 8? Well velvet is a questionable choice, one I have trouble getting used to.

7: Collin Sexton

The Alabama product represented the Crimson Tide with a crimson smoking jacket, black bow tie, black pants, and black spiked Loubiton shoes. Real fans of mine will know I wore a similar outfit to my high school senior homecoming dance (without the $1,000 shoes), so this one hits home. Sexton kept it simple and classic, no real complaints on this one.

6: Marvin Bagley III

Bagley was made aware that he would get picked second to the Kings, so perhaps the black and charcoal was a nod to a Sacramento alternate uniform. Perhaps he got lucky. Bagley wore a similar pair of spiked Loubitons that Sexton wore while lining his jacket with his own face and his motto: “J.R.E.A.M” (Jesus Rules Everything Around Me). Sparkling suits usually are too much, but this one is subtle enough. Top to bottom, this one is extremely clean.

5: Mikal Bridges

Philly fans, don’t get used to seeing the hometown hero in this hat, Bridges tenure as 76er didn’t last longer than 30 minutes. The suit, however, is hard to forget. Blue and black usually don’t mix, but in this case they do. Bridges’ jacket matches the colors of his high school team (Great Valley Patriots) and his College Team (Villanova Wildcats). The unique pattern on the jacket is not too obvious, but pops enough to give it some flavor. Nova’s logo is sewn into the lining as he credits the school that made him a two-time national champion.

4: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

I know what you’re thinking. “Seriously? four? The fourth best suit in the draft looks like my grandmother’s uncomfortable sofa?” Yes, yes, and yes it does. When I said earlier that I would award points for creativity, this is what I was talking about. Going with a floral suit is risky, Andrew Wiggins did it a few years ago and the jury is still out on whether he pulled it off. This outfit is LOUD, and seems like it really should not work, yet it does. He went for it, and why not? It’s the biggest day of your life, be bold, make sure people remember you. You can hate it, but you definitely won’t forget it, and as Gilgeous-Alexander said in an Instagram post, “don’t mind my drip.” (Footnote: I made myself dizzy/naseous from looking at this for 15 minutes, only making me more confident about its power.)

3: Michael Porter Jr.

MPJ did not have night he expected to have as the formerly-projected top five pick fell to the end of the lottery, but hopefully his ranking here can make up for it. For a nice summer day in Brooklyn, Porter wore a nice, cool summer suit. Highlights include the extremely pale blue jacket and pants, white shirt, and floral pattern on the tie and double-breasted vest. It looks good, but it also looks comfortable, checking off both fashion and function. The usual extra credit is in order for wearing colors that match the team that selected you. The word I think of when I see this suit fits the Denver climate as well: icy.

2: Wendell Carter Jr.

Wakanda forever! Though I still haven’t seen the movie (I don’t like paying theater ticket prices), I love the Black Panther inspiration in this outfit. The sash, something I’ve never seen in a draft outfit, has a tiger and Gucci colorway on it to match the iconic double G belt. Another first: getting the whole family involved in the draft suit madness! The entire concept is creative while keeping a deceptively simple black on black suit. Wendell Carter killed it.

1: Lonnie Walker

White suits can be tricky. Lebron James’ white draft suit is an all-time hilarious look. Lonnie Walker, the former Miami shooting guard, pulled off an all-time iconic look. Stylist Boushra AlChabaoun helped outfit Lonnie in this white (off-white?) suit, pink shirt, navy tie, and pink pocket square. The double-breasted jacket really set this one apart from all the rest. Walker chose something creative, yet simple. His suit is old-fashioned, yet modern. Then he adds the prescription-less glasses to top it off. Oh, and THIS is the best draft picture of all time. Of all time. Congratulations to the Redding, Pennsylvania kid on this coveted award.