Ben Gordon will have to put away his brawny, camel-colored work boots. The pair the Bulls guard wore out of the United Center on Saturday night won’t fly with his NBA bosses once the season begins.
“I usually don’t wear those,” Gordon said Tuesday. “It was one of those days I decided to throw them on.”
He’ll have to be pickier about his apparel once the NBA season begins Nov. 1. That’s when the league’s dress code takes effect. It was unveiled Monday and is getting mixed reviews.
“I think it’s going to be an adjustment for a lot of players,” Gordon said. “I saw some things about jewelry. That’s a big fad for younger guys in the league.”
Limitations indeed go beyond wardrobe selections. Players no longer will be allowed to flash bling-bling because of a ban on visible chains, pendants and medallions. Wearing sunglasses and headphones indoors will be banned, with an exception for headphones in locker rooms.
The NBA believes that image matters, a concept Michael Jordan grasped during his heyday. Jordan set the standard when it came to attire, as he always was impeccably dressed in designer apparel. Since then, oversized shirts and pants have become mainstream.
“Everything is a little looser now and can look a little more sloppy,” Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. “I guess [that’s] what the league’s after.”
Allen Iverson, one of the NBA’s biggest stars, is almost as famous for wearing oversized jerseys and crooked baseball caps as he is for his playmaking skills. Iverson has been critical of a dress code, but fans may have a hard time sympathizing.
“We’re in a professional sport, and it’s a business world, so we have to do the same thing business people do each and every day,” Bulls rookie Eddie Basden said.
The policy calls for players to wear collared shirts, turtlenecks or sweaters with dress pants, khakis or “dress” jeans. If players are on the bench but not expected to play, they must wear sport coats.
“During the game, if you’re an injured player, a sport coat and slacks should be a bare minimum,” Skiles said. “And you should always appear to be professional when you’re entering the arena.”
Until now, dress codes were a team matter in the NBA. Major League Baseball and the NFL still leave such policies in teams’ hands.
The NHL, however, has restrictions similar to the NBA’s unless a coach or general manager makes an exception, a league spokesman said.
Players could be fined for violating the NBA’s policy, and the league will rely on teams to monitor players, said Mark Broussard, NBA director of communications.
One surprising part of the code is the ban on sneakers except for basketball use.
“We’re all basketball players, so we’re used to wearing sneakers and being comfortable on our feet,” Gordon said. “That’s the only one I didn’t agree with.”
The rest of the policy is no shock for the Bulls, who already ask players to wear a sport coat and slacks if they’re not in uniform on the bench.
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mxgarcia@tribune.com
