Dec. 25 came early for members of the Oklahoma City Thunder, because their teammate Chris Paul bought them all tailored Frere suits.
According to The Oklahoman, Paul thought of the gift idea over the summer and hired tailors earlier in the season. Those tailors then returned to make the final few alterations, and the team used Wednesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies as their red carpet moment.
Each player, dressed in suits in various styles and colors, made their way down the walk-in tunnel in their home arena, and they did it in front of photographers and camera people.
Paul, who sported a snazzy blue pinstriped suit himself, talked about the gift and how it’s great for team-building.
“I remember as a young guy, you don’t necessarily have different things or whatnot, and it was just a gift,” said the star point guard. “Baze [rookie forward Darius Bazley] said this is the first suit he ever had, so to see him, it’s cool. And the cool part about it is not even what it is, it’s that we did it together.”
And the suits apparently did some good for the team too, because the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 126-122 after overcoming a 24-point deficit.
Paul, who shared a video of himself in the blue suit, scored 18 points in that game, and Dennis Schroder had a phenomenal night, racking up 31 points.
As it stands, the Thunder are in seventh place in the NBA’s Western Conference between the Sacramento Kings, who are in eighth place, and the Utah Jazz, who are in sixth.
The Thunder have a record of 13 wins and 14 losses as of Dec. 19.
