petak, 30.03.2007.
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DAMON JONES, CAVS - SELF PROCLAIMED BEST DRESSER IN THE NBA (By Greg Ruffing/USA TODAY)..
Jones adds plenty of flash to his fashion
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Damon Jones has no shame in his game when it comes to shooting or fashion.
Jones' specializes in three-pointers —214 of his 328 field goal attempts have come from behind the arc — and dressing stylishly.
The nine-year veteran is shooting 39.7% on threes, and with a wardrobe that he says includes 450 suits and 150 pairs of shoes, he is the self-proclaimed best-dressed player in the NBA.
"I'm so exotic with my looks," Jones says. "I try to be different than all the other guys."
Jones succeeds at dressing differently on a nightly basis. Last spring he sported a leopard print sports coat during the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Washington Wizards. Earlier this season, he wore a tiger print jacket when Cleveland played at Washington. When he played for Miami three seasons ago, he donned a bright red sports coat for a playoff game with Detroit.
"When you consider yourself the best dressed, you're going to go out there sometimes," Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas says. "You're going to try things nobody is else is going to try and wear things no one else is going to wear. It works for him."
Jones says he selects his game-night attire based on the magnitude of the contest.
"It depends on where we are, the importance of the game and the amount of media attention surrounding the game," Jones says. "If it's a TNT or ESPN game, I would wear a suit and tie with my customary Gucci or Louis Vuitton slippers. If it's just a regular TV game, I would go with jeans and slippers."
Jones says he has become a fashion adviser for players throughout league who call him for tips. He also says that his style is beginning to influence how his peers dress.
"You're starting to see a trend," Jones says, adding that NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade— named the best-dressed player in the NBA by GQ magazine — benefited from Jones' good taste in clothes when they were teammates on the Heat two seasons ago.
"D-Wade was a sweat suit and jeans type of guy," Jones says. "I think my flair kind of propelled him to what he is off the basketball floor. A lot of guys say they don't like it. It doesn't look good. Now I'm starting to see a lot of guys taking on my style."
NAJBOLJE NOĆAŠNJE AKCIJE (30/03/2007)..
Confident in pink or red
Jones says others are able to emulate his style, but he is not concerned that someone will surpass him as the league's No. 1 clotheshorse because the combination of his personality and sartorial splendor are unbeatable.
"You can hang on my style, but you'll never have my personality," he says. "That's not a problem.
"For a guy who says he's the best-looking thing you've ever seen, it's not hard to put on a pink blazer or a bright red (sports coat). I'm OK with who I am."
Jones says he has been fashion conscious since his high school years, adding that his penchant for dressing comes from his mother, who he says "was a fashion icon."
"She would take four skirts and nine or 10 blouses and make different combinations," Jones says. "She was awesome. The way she dressed inspired me."
Jones says while his high school classmates were wearing baggy pants hanging off their waists, no belts and oversized shirts with the tail out, he wore jeans on his waist with a belt and always had his shirt tucked in.
"It made me feel good about myself, being clean-cut and being able to look good every day," he says.
Once in the NBA, he took his flair for dressing to another level.
"He does very well," Houston center Dikembe Mutombo says. "But I have a few questions about some of the colors he brings. He reminds me more of (former NBA player) Charles Oakley. He must be from Milwaukee or Cleveland."
Mutombo refers to Jones as "a Hollywood man," but he questions Jones' status as the best-dressed player in the NBA.
"Who voted for him?" Mutombo says. "I need to see that vote."
MICHAEL JORDAN SCORED 53, 50, 61 (3 GAMES)..
A throwback to the 1970s
Jones says the league has yet to see his 'A' game this season in terms of dress. He plans to unveil a new look in the upcoming weeks.
"You are in for a treat the rest of this season," he says. "I have a look that's just going to kill them. Nobody has ever done it. Nobody has ever seen it. When they see it, they're going to be like 'Wow, he's doing it again.' "
Jones also plans to make a big splash during All-Star weekend. He's competing in the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout on All-Star Saturday.
He says he already has the four outfits that he will wear for the weekend, lined up in his closet.
"Damon is quite a character," says Cary Mitchell, owner of Charlotte-based Cary Mitchell Designs. "He tries to take it to another level. He's almost like a throwback player in the '70s in the way he dresses.
"He's flashy like Earl the Pearl (Monroe), Clyde (Walt Frazier) and Gus Johnson. He reminds me of that first generation of black NBA players who were really flashy.
"He likes to have fun with his stuff. He's not like Alonzo Mourning or Michael Jordan, mainstream neat dressers. Zo is always neat and coordinated. He always fits the occasion. MJ is like that, too. Damon is flashy, but he's still classified as a good dresser."
Roscoe Nance
USA TODAY
