Devil In A New Dress

I can still remember the tears streaming down my face on April 13, 2016 when Kobe scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz in his last game as a Los Angeles Laker. The Lakers hadn't made the playoffs in three years and it had been six since they won a championship. It made my heart ache to know that Kobe retired with a Lakers record of 17-65, the worst in Lakers history. My tears were for all the joy Kobe had brought to LA mixed with tears that the organization's front office was being run into the ground. As Kobe bid his farewell to LA, I shifted my attention to the teams in the playoffs. Next to Kobe, my next favorite players were Kevin Durant (r.i.p. my fandom 2008-2016) and Russell Westbrook. The Oklahoma City Thunder were up against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. They managed to gain a 3-1 lead against the reigning champions. And just like that; it slipped away and the Warriors won the series sending them to the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the last twenty years, something incredible has happened with NBA and fashion. I like to think it all started when Allen Iverson brought his hip-hop influenced style to the NBA and it has evolved quite a bit since then. Possibly my two favorite things in this World are the NBA and fashion so I have compiled a list of my top five best dressed NBA draft picks. In the words of Russell Westbrook, why not? 5. Devin Booker-2015 Phoenix Suns The color coordination here is impeccable 4. Lebron James- 2003 Cleveland Cavaliers All white- bold choice my friend. I'm not mad. 3. Shaquille O'Neal- 1992 Orlando Magic This is pretty phenomenal considering it was 1992. 2. Brandon Ingram- 2016 Los Angeles Lakers Sleek and flashy. Perfect for LA. 1. D'Angelo Russell- 2015 Los Angeles Lakers Red, white, and a bowtie. Just how our founding fathers envisioned. Three out of five of the people on my list have played in Los Angeles so it's fair to say LA knows

What happened to the days when you could agree to disagree? When you wanted to be in a room full of people with different opinions so that you could have an intellectual conversation and stimulate the growth of your mind? When everyone didn’t feel the need to say you’re wrong and fire you from their life because you thought differently? Today, people get offended by everything. You can’t say anything without pissing someone off. I would imagine this has always been the case but no one ever spoke up about it. I’ve been surrounded by people with different views my whole life. Been a Democrat, a republican, only to realize I live in the gray. I can’t fit all of my ideals in to one box so I live outside of it. Since I have been on both sides, I see both points of view. I know the argument someone else will make before they even make it. I respect everyone’s opinion. Since we are all entitled to that— our opinion. I’ve researched so many theories, watched a lot of documentaries, spent hou