Social media users are not impressed with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ pre-game outfits — and not just because many see them as a jinx.
On Thursday night, the Cavs played in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, and turned up before the game in a series of coordinated suits.
But athletes have been known to make fashions statements, so these weren’t just any suits: Many of them featured cropped trousers that ended above the ankle, while a couple of players — including superstar LeBron James — wore a suit with shorts.
Fashion first! The Cleveland Cavaliers all wore matching suits by Thom Browne before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on May 31


That’s something: LeBron James wore a suit with shorts and high socks

A look: Several of his teammates, including Tristan Thompson (pictured), opted for versions of the suit with cropped trousers


Short: Kevin Love (left) and Jeff Green (right) wore cropped pants, too


Style: George Hill (left) wore statement socks, while Kyle Korver picked higher boots
The players were shown in photos and video before the game in their spiffy jackets, button-downs, ties, and oddly-short pants, quickly earning the attention of the internet.
Some of the trousers came up above the players’ ankles, to nearly mid-shin, and were worn with high socks and dress shoes. And that’s not just because each of these athletes is incredibly tall — the pants were actually designed to be that length.
LeBron had them all beat, wearing not suit pants but shorts cut above his knees. He, too, had high socks, dress shoes, a designer bag, and lots of jewelry, and wore his sunglasses inside — making it quite clear he was making a fashion statement.
But not everyone appreciated the message.
‘NOOOOOOOOOOO BURN THE SUITS,’ wrote one Twitter user, commenting on a video that the Cavaliers posted.

His cut-off suit: Jordan Clarkson also wore shorts, though his had a rougher hem

Not into it: Some social media users have mocked the style

Dressy meets casual: Though they’ve made fun of the cropped trousers, they find LeBron’s shorts particularly odd

No like! This fan wants the team to burn the suits

Not done: Fans are begging the team to stop wearing them, though players plan to bring them out for every away game through the end of the season

Uh-oh! Some think that the suits are jinxed, as the team has lost several games that they wore the suits to

Proving true: They also lost Game 1 on Thursday night
‘Suit/Shorts ????? Is that a thing?’ asked another, while another wrote: ‘For a minute, I thought he had shrunk them in the dryer!’
‘Those shorts with the high socks? … this series is over,’ added another critic, followed by one more who said simply, ‘This ain’t okay lebron.’
Some of the problem, as the fans saw it, is that suits may be bad luck for the Cavaliers. When they’ve worn them while arriving before, they’ve lost games — but tend to win when they dress more casually.
‘Matching suits…y’all already lost,’ predicted a fan. ‘NO! These suits are cancer. We’re about to lose Game 1,’ wrote another.
And sure enough, they did lose, with a final score of 114 compared to the Warriors’ 124.
This isn’t the first time that the Cavs have worn cropped suits. In April, the team — including LeBron, Tristan Thompson, and J.R. Smith — played the Indiana Pacers and showed up in suits by Thom Browne.

Earlier: The players also wore matching suits before playing against the Indiana Pacers (pictured: Kevin Love and Jeff Green on April 22)

Uniform: On April 27, they wore matching gray suits with cardigans (pictured: Tristan Thompson)


Thom Browne worked with the team on the suits, which show unity (pictured: JR Smith, left, and Kyle Korver, right)

Team: LeBron, who wore the cropped style on April 22, said the suits give the group a sense of ‘camaraderie’ and ‘a feeling like we are one and in this together’
Cropped suits are a signature of Browne’s, and the team all went for matching ensembles. Dwyane Wade, who was traded to the Miami Heat in February, started the tradition, coordinating with the designer.
‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if they all wore tailoring, and tailoring in a very uniform way, to really show the strength in a uniform?’ Browne said of their first conversation, speaking to the New York Times.
LeBron has continued it since Wade left, saying it gives the group a sense of ‘camaraderie’ and ‘a feeling like we are one and in this together’.
Fans who think the suits are a jinx may be upset to learn that the team plans to continue to wear them for away games for the remainder of the postseason.
A week ago, GQ took a look at the team’s wins and losses based on how they are dressed, and found they do in fact win a higher percentage of games when not in the Thom Browne suits.

The style: Browne is known for his cropped suit pants (pictured: his Spring 2017 menswear show)


Airy: He has also shown suits with shorts, which members of the Cavs like

‘Expressing myself through fashion is such an important part of my NBA experience,’ said LeBron
But the team seems to like the tradition. LeBron told the Times: ‘We have the same outfit on every night when we warm up. Dressing the same isn’t special. Being in a designed suit by a master craftsman is truly special.’
‘Expressing myself through fashion is such an important part of my NBA experience,’ he went on. ‘It’s really another way to have fun and experience my love for the game.
‘I love mixing it up with my shoes on the court, sometimes at the podium post game. And of course there is the walk into the game. Using the tunnel walk to express yourself, say what you’re feeling — that is a very cool change my generation brought to the game.’
And coach Ty Lue isn’t worried about what people think the suits mean for their record.
‘I just think it shows a sign of unity, as one, everyone wearing the same suits,’ he told USA Today. ‘I mean, it’s pretty cool. Like at first, when we lost our first game, we did it, and I knew it would be a story. But overall, it just stands for unity, like as one, going on the floor, having the same jersey and uniform on. I think it’s pretty cool.’