National Basketball Association

Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis Wore Cornrows Because Of Carmelo Anthony

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

New York Knicks phenom Kristaps Porzingis infamously wore cornrows during his younger years. The reason for his cornrows: Carmelo Anthony.

New York Knicks phenom Kristaps Porzingis can do no wrong in the eyes of the local masses. He says the right things, plays with an unfiltered passion, and holds the future of the organization in the palms of his hands.

One of his more popular—or questionable—decisions was getting cornrows—a decision influenced by one of his current teammates.

One of the more comical moments of Porzingis’ rookie year was the revelation that he had cornrows when he was younger. It was a hilarious look into the life of a player unlike any the NBA has seen before.

During a recent article posted to The Players’ Tribune, Porzingis revealed why he wore his infamous cornrows: Carmelo Anthony.

At that point, I was watching Iverson and Melo in the NBA, and I told my brothers, “I wanna do cornrows!”

And they were like, “O.K., cool. We’re gonna get you cornrows.”

They took me to a barber shop and we put the braids in. I wore those cornrows for like, a year straight. I wouldn’t go to school if I didn’t have them braided perfect, because nobody saw me with regular hair.

The stuff of legends.

Allen Iverson and Anthony are two of the most influential players in NBA history. Not only are they all-timers headed for the Hall of Fame—Iverson was inducted in 2016 and Anthony will likely be a first-ballot inductee, as well—but they’re titans of NBA style.

Both players helped make cornrows one of the most popular looks in the basketball world.

Porzingis certainly connected with it.

It’s worth noting that Anthony was voted the second-most popular player in the NBA by the incoming class of rookies. That’s a testament to how influential he’s been to the youth of the basketball world.

Perhaps Anthony and Porzingis will bring the look back in 2016-17.

Unlikely, but a man can dream.