Summer is always a great time to try out a new hairstyle. That’s what NBA star Tristan Thompson did by getting braids added to his normally short cropped look. The 29-year-old debuted his new hair makeover on July 24 in an Instagram selfie. He seemed proud of his fresh ‘do, writing in the caption “New Look.” But he ended up getting trolled by teammates, other NBA players and fans for his braids, with some claiming they’re a “weave.” Even his ex Khloe Kardashian‘s brother Rob Kardashian had something to say about them, as the 33-year-old compared Tristan’s hair to an iconic Denzel Washington character.
In the comments of Tristan’s photo, Rob wrote, “Jake Shuttlesworth,” referring to Denzel’s character in the 1998 Spike Lee directed basketball drama He Got Game. While Jake wore his hair in an afro for most of the film, several fans left laughing so hard they were crying emojis under Rob’s comment.
Tristan’s former Cleveland Cavalier’s teammate Larry Nance Jr. was right on the money though. He commented, “I see you Calvin Cambridge,” referring to Lil Bow Wow‘s character in the 2002 basketball comedy Like Mike. Tristan’s braids did strongly resemble those of the then-teenage rapper/actor in the film. Larry got plenty of of love for the comparison, and user @r_blunk813 even joked, “@larrydn7 don’t compare him to that legend.”
Two other NBA stars Tristan played with in Cleveland were kind enough to not diss Tristan, but also weren’t exactly enamored with the look. Kevin Love simply wrote, “Oh wow,” while Jordan Clarkson left “ok bro,” in the comments with a “Keeping it 100” emoji.
Other fans called out Tristan for getting a weave. User @indianageorge3 commented, “With the baby hair hairline I see u bro @realtristan13,” while @the_lord_chose_me_1111 wrote, “Wow you got weave now? Out of control.” A woman named @welldamn_sam left “Weave braid” as her comment, and user @1glamorouschick agreed, writing “@welldamn_sam I said the same thing.”
Some fans weren’t as cruel about the hair, and gushed over how much his two-year-old daughter with Khloe, True Thompson, resembles her daddy. User @crystal_eiram wrote, “Omg true’s twin,” and that “twin” sentiment was echoed by a number of posters. True totally has inherited her daddy’s facial features, especially his eyes.
Its unclear how long Tristan will be rocking his braids after the less than warm reception to his new ‘do from fellow players and fans. They are brand new though, as he was photographed shooting scenes for the new season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians in Malibu on July 22, alongside Khloe, 36, and her sister Kim Kardshian, 39, and he had his usual short-cropped hairstyle. Hopefully Tristan keeps the new style long enough to make it into a few upcoming episodes of KUWTK. It would be great to see if newly slimmed down Rob returns to the show, and is willing to taunt Tristan to his face about his braided hair.