Tre Mann, born February 3, 2001, was not technically alive for Y2K. But it seems clear that he has a real appreciation for that micro-moment in time. The breakout sensation for the Charlotte Hornets has made a name for himself in the early part of this NBA season, putting up nearly 15 points per game and shooting 38% from three, well up from his career averages. And he’s been doing so while dressing—off the court, but especially on it—like it’s 2001 all over again.
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During this current decade, the trend has been shorter shorts and tight jerseys, often with a shooting sleeve on the arms and leggings covering the legs. Not for Mann. He entered this season (his first full season with the Hornets after being traded from Oklahoma City at last year’s deadline) with a clear aesthetic vision. With knee-hugging shorts, a billowy jersey, and a classic white headband, Mann is throwing us all back to the 2000s, when every NBA game was littered with guys who dressed like this.
“There were times last year when my shorts were too short,” Mann said in a recent video call. “I just didn’t feel good out there. I don’t know, I won’t blame it all on that. But I do believe if you look good, you feel good, you play good.” During the offseason, he went back to the drawing board, and returned for the 2024 campaign with a new look we can only call Iversonian. But Mann points out that the seeds were planted not in Charlotte but in the Oklahoma plains, and it was actually a different early aughts bucket getter atop his mental mood board.
“The idea first came when I was with OKC last year,” he explains. “I was just having fun with my teammates and decided to wear a baggy uniform in practice. They thought it was funny. I kept wearing it throughout the year, and went into the summer doing the same thing. Then I saw a picture of Tracy McGrady. His shorts were super low, and I just liked the look!” He thought: I’m gonna bring this back.
Logistically, this meant enlisting the talents of Hornets equipment manager Jason Rivera, known as J Bird. Last year, as Mann was getting used to his new surroundings, he says he was hesitant to go all out right from the start. So, he slowly introduced the baggy clothing into his practice and workout wardrobes first. “I couldn’t do a jersey yet, because I didn’t know how it worked!” Mann laughed. But when he reported for training camp this year knowing he was going to be part of Charlotte’s rotation, Mann felt confident enough to approach J Bird about changing up his in-game look, too. “The game stuff didn’t start until this year,” Mann said. NBA jerseys, he explained, don’t exactly come in small, medium, and large. “It goes by numbers,” he said. And this season? “I have the biggest jersey on the team, like I’m wearing a big man’s uniform. I think it’s a 52. I was around 44 or 46 before. Nobody else on our team has a 52 right now,” not even seven-foot, 245-pound center Nick Richards. (Mann is listed at 6’3” and a slender 178lbs.)
