The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2019-20 NBA season filled with uncertainty, especially following the departure of Paul George and Russell Westbrook as well as the arrival of Chris Paul.
OKC is by no means the best team in its conference, but the ragtag core of Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams are exceeding expectations. They currently have a 13-14 win-loss record as the West's seventh seed — better than the likes of the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.
One of the main reasons for the Thunder's upsurge is CP3, who, despite being mired in never-ending trade talks, has been a consummate leader. The Point God has turned out to be a positive presence on and off the court for this unlikely crew — a big turnaround from what nemesis Rajon Rondo used to called him ("horrible teammate").
Earlier in the season, he reportedly got the entire squad fitted for custom suits that came just in time for their recent game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Look:
"I remember as a young guy, you don’t necessarily have different things or whatnot. And it was just a gift. A gift to guys. Baze (rookie Darius Bazley) said this is the first suit he ever had, so to see him, it’s cool. And the cool part about it is not even what it is. It’s that we did it together," Chris told The Oklahoman.
Even Adams, who admits that he isn't used to being all suited up, made his way to the arena in a dark blue ensemble with matching flat cap.
Oklahoma returned the favor with an inspiring performance, rallying from 24 points down to defeat the Grizzlies, 126-122. Schroder led the Thunder with 31 points, while Gallinari and Gilgeous-Alexander pitched in 20 each. CP3 contributed 18 markers — and the bonding that comes with a stylish pre-game team gift.
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