One of the most popular forms of rookie hazing in the NBA comes in the form of wearing a humiliating backpack. While MLB teams like to make their rookies wear speedos and parade around Times Square, NBA veterans go a bit easier on their new guys and simply make them wear book bags that you would find at your local Toys “R” Us store. As you can see from the photo above that was taken from this video on Suns.com, Phoenix rookie Kendall Marshall is dealing with the Justin Bieber backpack treatment at the start of training camp.
“I’m gonna make it a fashion statement,” Marshall said confidently. “I’m gonna wear it all the time to the point where they’re gonna be mad like, ‘This doesn’t phase him.’ That’s where I’m going with it.”
The Timberwolves forced Ricky Rubio to wear a similar backpack last season, and he also took it in stride. At the end of the day, repping the Biebs is much better than having to wear these backpacks that the Nuggets’ veterans forced their rookies to carry around. If Marshall truly can turn it into a fashion statement, he’ll earn some serious respect from his teammates.
