Not much is happening in the world of sports except for NFL free agency, and one of the biggest stars in league history is leaving the only franchise he's ever known. Tom Brady will look weird in any jersey he chooses to don next, so we thought we'd look back at some of the weirdest jersey looks in NBA history.
1. LeBron James — Los Angeles Lakers
Oh, we're going there early, folks.
No matter how much time passes and how many great things the King does in La La Land, he still won't look right in a Lakers uniform. Are most Lakers fans happy he's there now? Of course! Will more jump on board if he's able to bring home a championship? Absolutely!
But when LeBron eventually retires from the game, will we remember him most as a Lakers? Probably not.
2. Tony Parker — Charlotte Hornets
After spending his first 17 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, winning four NBA titles and a Finals MVP, Parker left and played in Charlotte with the Hornets.
This is a more recent move but it's easy to forget.
Parker played just 56 games with the Hornets and retired after the season.
3. Dominique Wilkins — Boston Celtics
Remember this?
After 11 straight All-Star appearances with the Atlanta Hawks, Wilkins signed with the Boston Celtics in the 1994 offseason. They went 35-47 but still reached the playoffs, where they would fall to Shaq, Penny and the Orlando Magic in the first round. It was Wilkins' only season in Boston.
Speaking of Boston...
4. Robert Parrish — Chicago Bulls
This Celtics legend concluded his Hall of Fame career in Chicago in 1997. You likely forgot about it because he only played 43 games in a Bulls uniform.
You're welcome for feeding you a future basketball trivia night answer.
And while we're on the Bulls...
5. Dennis Rodman — Dallas Mavericks
At least the jersey matches his hair, right?
In the 1999-00 season, Rodman played in 12 games for the Mavericks. I'm not sure what's the most eye-popping note of his Dallas career — that he played with Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, that he grabbed 171 rebounds in just 12 games or that he was thrown out of two of the 12 games.
That brings us to a pair of other big men that didn't quite fit into new threads...
6. Patrick Ewing — Seattle SuperSonics/Orlando Magic
The Orlando thing is weird, so I'll let you decide which looks less-fitting.
In 2001, Ewing played in 79 games for the Seattle Supersonics. They finished six games over .500 but missed the playoffs. In 2002, he made a move to Orlando, where he played 67 games for the Magic. They reached the playoffs that season but were bounced in the first round by Baron Davis and the Hornets.
The other big man is...
7. Hakeem Olajuwon — Toronto Raptors
The Dream!
Olajuwon played 17 seasons with the Houston Rockets, where he crafted his Hall of Fame career. Before he hung 'em up, he played one season in Toronto in 2001-02. He played in 61 games and helped the Raptors reach the playoffs, but only logged 17 minutes per game in the postseason.
Toronto fell to the Detroit Pistons in five games in the first round.
In 2001, Olajuwon wasn't the only NBA legend to make a move to a new team...
8. Michael Jordan — Washington Wizards
Just because you remember this doesn't mean it looks right. Jordan spent the final two years of his career as a Washington Wizard, from 2001 to 2003.
Jordan is one of the few guys to make a move late in their career and still bring similar production. He averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in a Wizards uniform, which is absurdly impressive at ages 38 and 39.
Unfortunately, Washington just missed the playoffs in both seasons.
Now, we get to the stars of the late 90s and early 2000s. The year was 2010...
9. Allen Iverson — Memphis Grizzlies
After bouncing around from Denver to Detroit, Iverson landed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009-10.
It didn't last long, though.
A.I. played in three games, refused to come off the bench, then left the team. The whirlwind that was Iverson's career in Memphis landed him a sure-fire spot on this list.
This brings us to another one of the biggest personalities in league history...
10. Shaquille O'Neal — Boston Celtics
No, this is not photoshopped, I promise.
O'Neal hopped on the back end of the Celtics' Big Three era in 2010-11, hoping to add another banner to the Garden's already-full rafters. Injuries kept Shaq out for the majority of the season, as he only appeared in 37 games.
O'Neal sat out for the entirety of the Celtics' first-round sweep of the Knicks, aiming to make a healthy return for the series against the Miami Heat's Big Three. Shaq was only able to play in two games, and the Celtics lost the series in five games.
One year later, this happened...
11. Tracy McGrady — Atlanta Hawks
McGrady played his final regular-season in Atlanta. It's easy to forget because the prolific scorer only averaged 5.3 points over 52 games.
The Hawks did make the playoffs that year, but lost to the Celtics in six games in the first round. McGrady played in all six playoff games but only logged 15 minutes per game off the bench.
While McGrady was in Atlanta, this was going on in Los Angeles...
12. Steve Nash — Los Angeles Lakers
Nothing about this picture looks right. This seems to be something that can only happen in NBA 2K.
In the 2012-13 season, the Lakers gave Nash, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant a chance at becoming the league's next big three.
Since it didn't work out, it leaves us with confusing photos like this one. Nash played in just 50 games in his first season with the Lakers and 15 games in his second, averaging 11.4 points and 6.4 assists per game over two years. He still nearly shot 50-40-90 in that first season, though!
You might remember this one in 2015...
13. Paul Pierce — Washington Wizards
"Did you call bank? I called game!"
Pierce only played one season with the Wizards, but it was one to remember. He appeared in 73 regular-season games and 10 postseason games.
The Wizards swept the Raptors in the first round, only to fall to the Hawks in six games in the second round. With the series tied at 1-1, Pierce hit a game-winner to give the Wizards a 2-1 lead. Later that series, down 3-2 on the brink of elimination, The Truth hit what would have been a game-tying three to force overtime, but time expired before the ball left his hand, leading to defeat.
Even though he had memorable moments there, it doesn't make the jersey look any more normal.
14. Dwyane Wade — Cleveland Cavaliers
This should've been higher on the list, but let's face it, we just spent a year plus saying goodbye to this guy. Some of us are Wade'd out.
What was meant to be a reunion of Wade and LeBron's Miami Heat days didn't quite work out. Things were choppy with the team, and Wade felt it was better to return to his true home in the league, Miami.
Wade played in 46 games with the Cavaliers, coming off the bench in all but three of them. At the trade deadline, he was a part of the massive turnover on the Cavs' roster. He finished the season strong with the Heat and the 2018-19 season with Miami would be his last.
A few years down the line, we'll have to remind people that this photo is indeed real, not photoshopped.
15. Kevin Durant — Brooklyn Nets
Look, the Nets black and white jersey really could look good on anyone, but Kevin Durant still looks weird in it.
We've yet to see him play a game and he might create great memories in Brooklyn, but like LeBron, will we remember KD as a Net or a member of another team when it's all said and done?
The views here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.
