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Best and worst dressed prospects from NBA Drafts past and present
Noren Trotman/ NBAE/ Getty Images

Best and worst dressed prospects from NBA Drafts past and present

Fashion is a moving target. What works one day is seen as dated and out of style the next. The NBA Draft offers reminders of this every June. For would-be rookies, some of those choices are slam dunks, while others should have been rejected before anybody saw them. 

Opinions on the best and worst dressed NBA prospects from the past vary per person and the time in which one is reviewing those outfits. Perhaps, five years from now, players listed among the worst dressed draftees will be lauded for taking chances and being unique. One thing that's certain is that future NBA Draft classes are guaranteed to produce fashion shows and give Twitter plenty to talk about. 

 
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Best-dressed: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Best-dressed: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo nailed it on the night he was selected by the Bucks in 2013. The Greek Freak's jacket is the real MVP of this ensemble. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Carmelo Anthony

Worst-dressed: Carmelo Anthony
Jennifer Pottheiser/ NBAE via Getty Images

Maybe this suit foretold that Carmelo Anthony wouldn't win anything of note while with the Denver Nuggets. In fairness, Anthony isn't the only player spotlighted in this piece guilty of wearing a jacket that could also service as a hang glider in an emergency. The extra buttons earn Anthony a higher shoutout here. 

 
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Best-dressed: LeBron James

Best-dressed: LeBron James
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

If you're going to wear an all-white suit befitting of somebody with a "Chosen 1" tattoo on his back, you'd better be one of the greatest to ever play the game. Fortunately for LeBron James, he's been even better than advertised throughout his legendary career. Maybe he can bring this suit back for his next big decision. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Jalen Rose

Worst-dressed: Jalen Rose
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Jalen Rose, currently an NBA analyst for ESPN, explained that he chose this suit because he thought the Los Angeles Clippers would draft him. Apparently he also had a lime-green suit ready in case the Seattle SuperSonics selected him. Admittedly, we're a little bummed we didn't get to see that outfit. 

 
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Best-dressed: Lonzo Ball

Best-dressed: Lonzo Ball
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft, Twitter roasted Lonzo Ball over Big Baller Brand's ZO2's, shoes that cost more than some car payments. Even critics couldn't deny Ball rocked his NBA Draft suit, one that included a bow tie with the BBB logo on it. There's no better advertisement than one that's free. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Chuck Person

Worst-dressed: Chuck Person
Noren Trotman/ NBAE/ Getty Images

The Indiana Pacers missing out on a Hall of Famer like Dennis Rodman wasn't the worst crime committed at the 1986 NBA Draft. We don't know who told Chuck Person a fluorescent cummerbund was a good idea. It wasn't. 

 
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Best-dressed: Frank Kaminsky

Best-dressed: Frank Kaminsky
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

Of course Frank "The Tank" Kaminsky had tanks sewn into his NBA Draft suit jacket. That's just good marketing. Fortunately for everyone, Kaminsky has a G-rated nickname. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Peja Stojakovic

Worst-dressed: Peja Stojakovic
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

A good iron and 10 minutes may have saved Peja Stojakovic's NBA Draft suit. Then again, a lack of wrinkles wouldn't have decreased the length of those pants. He's lucky he didn't trip and hurt himself. 

 
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Best-dressed: Dennis Smith Jr.

Best-dressed: Dennis Smith Jr.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Smith Jr. probably earned himself some Rookie of the Year votes with his suit at the 2017 draft. Bailey Grey of Mavs Moneyball named Smith the "best dressed draftee" of last year's class. Grey may be biased, but the double-breasted tux really was tremendous. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Hakeem Olajuwon

Worst-dressed: Hakeem Olajuwon
Bettmann/Getty Images

Hakeem Olajuwon should have just worn the Houston Rockets jacket featured in the photo. That's a better look than the small bow tie on the 7-footer. This was not a career highlight for the all-time great. 

 
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Best-dressed: Noah Vonleh

Best-dressed: Noah Vonleh
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It's almost like Noah Vonleh knew he was going to be drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. The hat goes perfectly with the suit made all that much better by the white bow tie. Granted, his tenure with the Hornets lasted only one season before he was traded, but he'll always have the memory of looking clean here. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Amar'e Stoudemire

Worst-dressed: Amar'e Stoudemire
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images

Amar'e Stoudemire wearing a jacket that emphasized he was one of the biggest humans in the room certainly made a statement. That statement: "I should have let somebody else dress me." 

 
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Best-dressed: D'Angelo Russell

Best-dressed: D'Angelo Russell
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Not everybody who pays homage to his university with his NBA Draft suit pulls it off (more on that later). Ohio State product D'Angelo Russell hit it out of the park at the 2015 NBA Draft. He could dot the 'i" at the Horseshoe wearing this outfit. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Chris Bosh

Worst-dressed: Chris Bosh
Jennifer Pottheiser/ NBAE via Getty Images

One has to assume Chris Bosh was comfortable wearing these massive pants at the 2003 NBA Draft. This suit cut sank far too many past NBA draftees. May it never return. 

 
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Best-dressed: Devin Booker

Best-dressed: Devin Booker
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Booker looked like he was ready to attend the Kentucky Derby at the 2015 NBA Draft. This outfit could have gone disastrously for him had the suit been a little brighter. Even the hat looks good with the outfit. Well done, Mr. Booker. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Joakim Noah

Worst-dressed: Joakim Noah
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

At least Joakim Noah looked elated at the 2007 NBA Draft. The color of the suit was Noah's downfall on this fateful night. It's too bad, because his hair was spectacular. 

 
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Best-dressed: Andrew Wiggins

Best-dressed: Andrew Wiggins
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Imagine what could have been had LeBron James been able to buy teammates matching suits based upon what Andrew Wiggins wore the night he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. That, alone, would have been worth a parade in the city that is commonly referred to as the "Mistake On The Lake." 

 
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Worst-dressed: Dwight Howard

Worst-dressed: Dwight Howard
Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images

Once again, it's the suit cut that lands the player on the list. You're Dwight Howard. You're huge. Your jacket shouldn't be bigger than most adolescents. 

 
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Best-dressed: Marcus Smart

Best-dressed: Marcus Smart
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The only negative about Marcus Smart in this picture is that he forgot to unbutton the jacket. That, pardon the pun, is a rookie mistake. Other than a forgivable miscue, Smart gets an A-plus for this look. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Samaki Walker

Worst-dressed: Samaki Walker
Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images

If there's a Hall of Fame for worst-dressed NBA draftees, Samaki Walker is probably the first inductee. No explanation about what was or wasn't fashionable at the time can save this ensemble. It didn't work in 1996, and 20-plus years later it still doesn't. 

 
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Best-dressed: Kawhi Leonard

Best-dressed: Kawhi Leonard
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

Esquire's Kurt Soller wasn't impressed with Kawhi Leonard's NBA Draft suit. Sure, it was slightly baggy, but the look worked for somebody traded to the San Antonio Spurs. You do you, Kawhi. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Wesley Johnson

Worst-dressed: Wesley Johnson
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Enter "Wesley Johnson NBA Draft suit" into your favorite internet search engine, and you'll find contrasting reviews. Some loved the plaid pants. Others, however, did not

 
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Best-dressed: T.J. Leaf

Best-dressed: T.J. Leaf
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

One of two things will happen if you choose to wear a bright suit: You will either draw comparisons to the Joker, or you'll look as good as T.J. Leaf looked at the 2017 NBA Draft. Sometimes it pays to be bold. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Rakeem Christmas

Worst-dressed: Rakeem Christmas
Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Maybe it was the jacket that got Rakeem Christmas bounced from the NBA roughly two years after he was drafted. You need to evolve into an All-Star if you're going to go with the flowery suit for what is supposed to be the biggest night, to date, of your life. 

 
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Best-dressed: Kristaps Porzingis

Best-dressed: Kristaps Porzingis
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks fans should have felt embarrassed booing Kristaps Porzingis even before he ever took the court. He entered the NBA rocking a suit worthy of a man who became known as "Lordzingis." His play is more fire than this outfit. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Jared Jeffries

Worst-dressed: Jared Jeffries
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images

We apologize if the brightness of Jared Jeffries' NBA Draft suit caused any eye damage or blurriness. There's only one word to say to any future draftee thinking about wearing a similar outfit: Don't. 

 
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Best -dressed: Kobe Bryant

Best -dressed: Kobe Bryant
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Truth be told, Kobe Bryant didn't stand out one way or another with his NBA Draft suit. This is just an excuse to show him wearing a Charlotte Hornets hat. Oh, what could have been. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Caris LeVert

Worst-dressed: Caris LeVert
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It's sweet that Caris LeVert wanted to honor Michigan with his NBA Draft outfit. Maybe next time, don't go with the multicolored jacket. A maize tie with a blue jacket would have been fine. 

 
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Best-dressed: Frank Ntilikina

Best-dressed: Frank Ntilikina
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Frank Ntilikina and the New York Knicks seemed like a marriage written in the stars on the night of the 2017 NBA Draft. The red plaid was a risk worth taking in this instance. New York fans will be hoping Ntilikina's on-the-court performances match this look. 

 
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Worst-dressed: Drew Gooden

Worst-dressed: Drew Gooden
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images

Drew Gooden will likely never escape being known as arguably the worst-dressed NBA draftee in history. Everything about this outfit is awful unless Gooden was trying to make sure he wouldn't get wet in a rainstorm. We award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul. 

Zac Wassink is a football and futbol aficionado who is a PFWA member and is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. Erik Lamela and Eli Manning apologist. Chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. Whoops. You can find him on Twitter at @ZacWassink

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