SGA’s ‘swaggy’ Thunder jacket was years in the making
SALT LAKE CITY — Among a throng of fashion-forward NBA players, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stood out on AllStar Saturday night.
The Thunder guard wore a leather jacket with splotches of blue, orange, red and turquoise. But the most striking element of the jacket was an oversized Thunder logo on the back with “Oklahoma City” lettering beneath. And on the front, “Thunder” was spelled across the chest with lightning bolts surging through the letters.
You don’t often see players sporting team-themed gear. It’s not exactly the cool thing to do, and Gilgeous-Alexander is Captain Cool.
“It’s funny because I’ve had it for a few years now,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, “but I told myself that I wasn’t gonna wear it until I made the All-Star Game.”
How’s that for self confidence? While the rest of us were continually surprised by SGA’s steps into superstardom, he planned for this years ago. And on Sunday in Salt Lake City, Gilgeous-Alexander made his All-Star debut with nine points and seven assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander wore a fulllength fur coat Sunday for the All-Star Game, but he dusted off the Thunder jacket for the Saturday night festivities. SGA stood courtside in a crowd of stars to watch the slam dunk contest.
The jacket was an instant hit among Thunder fans. In a way, it was validation of their star’s affinity for the organization and Oklahoma City.
SGA said he hadn’t checked social media to see the reaction to the jacket.
When told that fans liked it, GilgeousAlexander grinned.
“I bet they did,” he said. “I wanted to represent the city here at All-Star Weekend, and I thought that was the perfect way.
“I also wanted to make it swaggy. Hopefully I accomplished that. Obviously without them and their support, I wouldn’t be here, so I wanted to give back a little bit.”
Gilgeous-Alexander collaborated on the jacket with designer Jeff Hamilton, the LeBron James of varsity jackets.
“I wanted to have it Thunder-themed, and then he threw in some native patches on the side,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We just went through multiple color schemes until we found the right one, and I fell in love with that one. And then there’s my (SGA) logo on the side of the jacket, too.”
As for the future of the jacket? “I haven’t decided,” SGA said. “It’s really nice, but I’m not sure if I want to wear it again.”