SPORTING AND STYLISH

4 Houston sports celebrities strut onto world's most fashionable list

Steven Devadanam
Jul 29, 2019, 10:02 am
Photo courtesy of the MFAH

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Some of the world's hottest professional athletes have two things in common: they're uber-fashionable and they're Houstonians.

When they're not topping scoring titles or best-of lists, Houston-based stars James Harden, Russell Westbrook, P.J. Tucker (all three Houston Rockets), and Deandre Hopkins (Houston Texans) are frequently mentioned among pop culture's most stylish. Now, the flashy quartet has landed on Sports Illustrated's coveted Fashionable 50.

Featured in the July 29-August 5, 2019 issue of Sports Illustrated, the Fashionable 50 list was selected by a panel of stylists, fashion editors and executives, and other influencers across the sports and fashion industries.

The issue breaks down the field into categories, including "Icons," "Street Style Stars," and "Trendsetters." The Houston four fall evenly into those categories, starting with two Rockets stars as "Icons."

Russell Westbrook: Icon

Houston's newest Rocket is well known as a fashion plate. "It's hard to predict what the NBA's style trailblazer and self-proclaimed Fashion King will wear next, but that surprise factor and fearlessness are exactly what make Russell Westbrook a style icon," says the publication. Westbrook's pre-and-post-game attire gets a nod, as does his presence in the streets of Paris during Fashion Week and his "Why not?" approach to dressing.

James Harden: Icon

One of the NBA's most prolific players and scoring champs has an equally splashy fashion game. Sports Illustrated notes that for the 2018-19 season, the Rockets guard carefully planned his daring and dashing ensembles, pairing his signature beard with everything from bright floral prints to neon suits and more. His May 2018 cover shot for GQ is one for the books.

DeAndre Hopkins: Trendsetter

Sports Illustrated claims that the Houston Texans star wide receiver "may look to Pharrell for some fashion inspiration (okay...)," but the Texans wide receiver "has a unique, enviable style all to his own." The man with arguably the best hands in the National Football League gets props for his mixing of "luxurious and intricate designer pieces with more casual options from retailers like ASOS with ease."

Continue on CultureMap to see who else made the list.

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Texans vs Chiefs: Good, bad & ugly

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The Texans and Deshaun Watson won the battle of the two best quarterbacks from the 2017 draft over Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs 31-24. Here are my observations:

The Good

-Although both young quarterbacks had two turnovers each, it was Watson who outdueld Mahomes. He had a total of 322 yards and three touchdowns to Mahomes' 272 yards and three touchdowns. It was his ballsy playmaking ability on two fourth down conversions, as well as his timely rushing touchdowns in a big time road win that put him over.

-Rookie defensive lineman Charles Omenihu had a crucial strip sack of Mahomes just before halftime. Linebacker Benardrick McKinney recovered the fumble and the Texans scored on the next play to go up 23-17 with their 20th unanswered points of the first half. This was a huge momentum shifter.

-Tashaun Gipson caught the first Mahomes interception of the season in the second quarter. The Chiefs were driving again and in field goal range when Mahomes took a shot at the end zone thinking he had a free play because of a potential pass interference/defensive holding call. The refs remarkably overruled the original call and ruled it an interception. Shocker!

The Bad

-Whitney Mercilus jumped offsides and Mahomes took a deep shot knowing he had a free play. Tyreek Hill won the jumpball over Justin Reid and Phillip Gaines. Hill is listed at 5'10, but looked as if he was 6'7 when he leaped to catch the ball. Reid appeared to have the ball in his grasp, but came up empty.

-Carlos Hyde fumbled on the first play from scrtimmage where he appeared to have simply lost his grip on the ball. The no-contact fumble was recovered by the Chiefs and led to a field goal to put the score at 10-0 about five minutes into the game.

-Watson threw a pick into double coverage trying to go for DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone while thewy were in field goal range down 24-23. It was his second pick of the day. It also came after Hopkins dropped a potential touchdown catch uncharacteristically taking his eyes off the ball before securing the catch.

The Ugly

-Horrible missed call on an offensive pass interference on the Chiefs opening drive! Travis Kelce basically threw a pass block that opened up Damien Williams for a huge 52-yard gain. The Texans challenged the call and the refs upheld it. This was the epitome of ref C.Y.A.

-The two teams combined for 14 penalties for 114 yards in the first half. That was most in a half this season. In an offensive shootout, penalties can kill you. They ended the game with 21 combined penalties for 149 yards.

-Rookie offensive lineman Tytus Howard was carted off with a leg injury on the third play of the 3rd quarter. It looked to be somewhat serious as his leg was rolled on and bent in a weird way. Bradley Roby gingerly walked off the field mid way throught he 3rd quarter and left the Texans with four healthy corners. Few plays later, Chiefs went up 24-23 on another Hill touchdown catch.

The Texans put together a great gameplan and it went as well as one could expect against a juggernaut like the Chiefs. Bill O'Brien deserves come credit. He gambled on a couple key 4th down conversions because he trusted Watson to do the right thing. He also committed to the run to the tune of 192 yards on the ground, despite Hyde's early fumble. Hyde himself ended up with 116 yards rushing. If O'Brien and Watson keep this up, there could be big things on the horizon. Next week's matchup against the Colts in Indy will tell us who's the big dog in the AFC South. Can O'Brien and Watson make magic again?

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