The NBA’s aggressive effort to improve player image has expanded to include a proposed dress code, and while the policy hasn’t been approved by the league’s union, there is some high-level support for the idea within the players’ group.
National Basketball Players Association President Antonio Davis favors a dress code to go along with the image-related elements that players affirmed as part of the new collective-bargaining agreement signed in June.
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| Shaquille O’Neal (center) would meet the proposed dress code for sidelines and appearances. |
“I like the concept that we need to have some type of dress code,” Davis said. “The way [some players] look now does not represent the league and themselves in the best way.”
David added that there should be some transition between players’ having no restrictions now and any strict new code.
The league’s proposed code would require players to wear a sport coat, slacks and dress shoes when arriving at a game and for team travel. For either off-court appearances or sitting on the bench when not in uniform, players would have to wear a collared shirt or a turtleneck with slacks or khakis.
No jeans, sneakers, hats or shorts would be allowed for any league business, though exceptions may be provided, such as for basketball clinics.
Neither the NFL nor MLB has a dress code policy for its players outside of competition. The NHL, as part of its CBA, requires players to wear sport coats when traveling.
Said NBPA spokesman Dan Wasserman, “We are in the process of seeking player input to what the league has proposed. We will respond to the league once we have the chance to talk to the players about it.” A decision is expected in some form by the start of the season.
Under the league’s proposal, teams would be allowed to enforce even tougher dress codes on their own. New York Knicks President Isiah Thomas enforced a dress code last year that included a jacket and tie for all members of the team’s traveling party.
“We felt it was very important to change the culture and that everyone associated with the Knicks realized every day that they represented our tradition and history as well as our fans and the city,” Thomas said in an e-mail statement. “We instituted a dress code for everyone from that point on, and it was universally accepted and has been very positive for our organization.”
Talk of the dress code comes as the union prepares to make details of the agreed-to CBA public. Image-related elements in the agreement include:
• Mandatory player attendance at a team-held media relations seminar and a business-of-basketball seminar. Players failing to attend would face a $20,000 fine.
• Players are prohibited from possessing any firearm when traveling on behalf of the league. Any player violating the policy is subject to suspension and a fine of $50,000.
• Players can be asked to wear wireless microphones during games and practices, though doing so is subject to their consent.
• Players are responsible for up to 12 off-court appearances each season, including two for season-ticket-holder events and five group appearances. Violation can bring a fine of up to $20,000. The marks previously were 10 appearances and a fine of up to $10,000.
