Halloween is coming up, and the athletes are picking out their best costumes to win the best-costume trophy. Contributors Cooper Smith and Cooper Newmark debate whose pick is the best.
Patrick Patterson as The Nutty Professor
By Cooper Smith
The NBA has had many excellent costumes over the years. One thing I love is that role players always dress up in the goofiest Halloween costumes.
Los Angeles Clippers role player Patrick Patterson embodies this perfectly and takes the cake for the best costume. He dressed up as one of actor Eddie Murray’s best roles: the Nutty Professor.
Sure, you could argue that Wemby as Slenderman was a great fit, but his lack of creativity didn’t make it the best costume. I could name at least 15 better NBA superstar costumes than Wemby’s.
Patterson put a lot of thought into it and played his role perfectly, almost like he was The Nutty Professor himself. He sets the bar for NBA role players with great costumes. I don’t think anyone will ever beat out Patrick Patterson for best costume in the NBA.
Victor Wembanyama as The Slenderman
By Cooper Newmark
The best Halloween costume doesn’t have to be the flashiest or the brightest; it just needs to be clever.
Wembanyama was nicknamed the Slenderman for his tall and skinny stature. When he wears the costume, it works for him. Everyone can wear a costume and make it look good.
The uniqueness and simplicity of going as your nickname makes things even better.
Everyone can be Batman or Superman. But to truly pull off Slenderman, you need to be slender and tall enough. A costume with a clear requirement, paired with his already established nickname, makes this costume one of the best.
Any role player can pay to get a costume; anyone can be something basic. What distinguishes Wembanyama’s as fantastic is that he is Slenderman; his nickname at the time was Slenderman. Dressing up as your nickname is something not many athletes can possibly do.
