Suns coach Earl Watson has suit game but would be for sweats and sneakers

Shortly before Earl Watson coached his first game as the permanent head coach of the Phoenix Suns, he was asked an important question. And it was not about the basketball duties of his job or any surprises that were a part of it.

He was asked if he’d gone suit shopping.

It’s a necessity for NBA coaches to dress well, and that is unlike their counterparts in MLB or the NFL. B/R Mag’s Brandon Sneed delved into just why basketball coaches are forced to wear suits — and if they would rather go the direction of Bill Belichick’s hoodie-wearing wardrobe.

Wouldn’t you know it, Watson was one of few coaches who had opinions on the matter.

“I would rather wear some Jordans and a sweatsuit,” Watson told B/R Mag. “If they ever changed the sideline to be like football, I would definitely be in a cool hoodie, like Belichick. So extreme. That’d be a cool look.”

But rules are rules, and the 37-year-old Watson, who is younger than several NBA players, is far ahead in the suit game.

Sneed points out that while the NBA offers a program to start each coach with 12 free custom-tailored suits created by fashion designer Joseph Abboud, Watson has hired his own stylist to keep him in vogue. The Suns coach has gotten props for his suit repertoire on the internet through an entire NBA Reddit thread titled “Earl Watson is the NBA’s best dressed coach.”

But if he had the option to wear sweats during games, the laidback former point guard would certainly find it exciting to remain trendy.

“Sloppy is the new swagger,” Watson told B/R Mag. “Cut some sleeves off, layer something underneath. Like, the Kanye look. I would have to go straight Kanye style. All his collections.”