The Most Outlandishly Wild Hairstyles Sports Have Ever Seen
With fashion, people have the chance to express themselves in whatever manner they so choose. This applies to their hairstyle as well. The same goes for athletes since the casual viewer only see's players when they're competing. Over the last decade, sports stars have been bringing their personality out to compete with them in the form of intricate, unique, and wild hairstyles. We've seen guys like Odell Beckham with the blonde, curly mohawk, and players from more than a decade ago like Dennis Rodman with straight blond hair. Which other athletes have experimented with their hair?
Iman's Curly Manbun?
Iman Shumpert made a name for himself early in his career while playing for the New York Knicks. He was a high-flying, tenacious defender that saw his playing style dumbed down thanks to numerous injuries. In 2016, Shumpert played alongside LeBron James, and he won his first ring.
As of 2019, he plays with the Houston Rockets. Let's discuss hairstyle. What look was trying to accomplish with this one? Shumpert usually sports the "Kid n' Play" flat top, but this look has more of an Eriq La Salle vibe to it.
What Exactly Is Going On Here
Hailing from Mozambique, Abel Xavier is a former professional soccer star who played full back. He now serves as the head coach of the Mozambique national team. He played in Spain, Holland, England, and Germany before ending his career with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
He carried with him this blonde look for the majority of his playing days. The braids with a mohawk in the middle is one the most original looks we've seen, and it's impressive. It still might've been a little excessive while he was in L.A.
The Mightiest Mohawk
Early in his career, Chris "Birdman" Andersen merely was trying to make it in the league. Coming from poverty, Andersen had zero concerns with how he looked on the court; he only knew how to hustle hard.
Once he signed a long enough contract and became comfortable, that's when the Birdman came alive. He says all the tattoos he has put on his body are there for a reason. Whatever the reasons, that haircut might just be the greatest mohawk the NBA has ever seen.
A GREAT Rookie Haircut
When it's your first year entering a professional league, you can expect to get the rookie treatment. Some have to get donuts for the whole team every day, and others might have to wear an embarrassing outfit to the first game.
It looks like Tim Tebow agreed to sport a Friar Tuck look in 2010. We can't see how anyone except for his teammates would find this amusing. Tebow probably secretly hated it, but rookies can't complain!
What A Legend
If you aren't aware of who Peter Wright is, then you probably don't watch enough darts. Perhaps you didn't know darts is a sport that gets televised, so we understand. Now that you know who he is, you won't ever be able to get this outlandish haircut out of your brain.
He has his wife dedicate two hours of the day, every day, to do his hair. As you can tell, she's very talented, but why does Wright like having snakes on the side of his head?
Nice Curls, Odell
"It's gonna be me!" Sorry, Odell Beckham just gave us all the vintage Justin Timberlake vibes we could handle. The star wide receiver is as flashy on the field as he is with his look, including his hair. He even wore a skirt to the latest Met Gala.
As much as you can expect him to make a big play on the field, you can also anticipate Beckham's hair to flow in the wind with all its curliness. When he came into the league, it wasn't blonde. He slowly dyed it lighter and lighter each season.
Colorful Zig-zags
Antonio Garay must have entirely too much free time on his hands. Outside of football, he probably lets his imagination run wild. How else would he come up with a hairstyle like this unless he idolized clowns growing up?
Not only did Garay have a shocking haircut, but he also had Hello Kitty cars. The nose guard would also carve messages for charity in his hair when he wasn't putting the colors of the Chargers. We'll just say he loved his hair very much.
Kirilenko With The Mop Top
Andrei Kirilenko was a great NBA player. He currently coaches overseas, but he was a monster on defense when he played professionally. He helped the teams he played for lock down the competition's best player.
As far as his haircut goes, it looks like the Soviet Union wants their hairstyle back. The blonde mop got cut off one time and one USA Today headline read, "Andrei Kirilenko got a haircut and it's surprisingly acceptable." You know its wild when a publication takes shots at you.
Davis Doesn't Care
Mark Davis is the son of legendary NFL owner Al Davis. Mark took over the Oakland Raiders when his father passed away in 2011. His dad had a reputation for being clean cut and polished. With all that being true, Mark can't manage to get a decent cut?
It just seems like Mark doesn't care that much about his looks. That bowl-cut he continues to have is all the proof needed to back up that claim. He looks very similar to Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber.
What In Tarnation
The story goes that Elfrid Payton refused to cut his hair while in high school until his Louisiana team won the state title. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition, so he more than likely kept it growing even while in the NBA!
Payton says his wild hair gives contrast to his otherwise calm demeanor. He recently cut the bird's nest, or flat top, or afro, but it already looks like its growing back to its peak potential.
An Impeccable Rattail
As far as rat-tails go, Rodrigo Palacio's is one of the best. We're not saying this is a hairstyle everyone should try or want to work, but Palacio's tail probably reigns supreme. Just take a long look at it.
Do defenders ever try and pull it when he's not looking to throw him off? He's made this look his own, and you have to respect him for that because not many dare to wear this over and over again. The Daily Mail had a headline once that read, "Is Rodrigo Palacio's off-center rat-tail the worst haircut in World Cup history?"
Hey Tiger, What's That On Your Head?
Tiger Woods might go down as the greatest golfer to ever do it. He's definitely in the conversation! Something else "in the conversation" is if he was going through a mid-life crisis when he pulled this hairstyle off.
Did the golf legend want to live up to his name by adding blonde spots to his head? We may never know, but what we are aware of is that even if you're as good as Woods, you can't don a look like this and not get made fun of about it.
Cricket With A Twist
With Cricket earning a ranking of the number two most popular sport in the world, the ground is the perfect platform for Colin Miller to show off his colorful hair. Usually, the players all wear the same white outfits and gear with little to no variation.
"Funky Miller" changed that when he entered the Sydney Cricket Ground with his hair looking like a Teletubby. Cricket has never seen another player like Miller. The sport can thank him for his adventurous spirit.
Time To Let It Go...
Manu Ginobili is an all-time great shooting guard. He's won several championships during his time with the San Antonio Spurs which only adds to his resume. That's no excuse for the lack of hair he seemingly chose to ignore on his head.
Before stepping on the court with this patch, he should have talked to Michael Jordan. Jordan knew he didn't have much hair left to showcase and left it completely bald. Ginobili should have done the same.
Nothing Wrong With Some Colorful Braids
The late '90s was a crazy time for many reasons. You had the whole Y2K thing to worry about, and Bill Clinton faced impeachment. We also had Taribo West's bright green braids on our minds as he ran up and down the pitch.
His style for sure caught the attention of fans everywhere. He may have had attention on him because of his hair, but not so much due to his playing abilities but we're sure he's okay with that now.
Brandon And The Gumby
Brandon Jennings once had a promising professional career ahead of him. Drafted the same year as Steph Curry, many projected him to have a better career. Well, things don't always go as planned, and Jennings is currently out of the league while Curry has two MVP awards and more NBA Finals to compete in still.
While Jennings was still trying to find his way in the NBA, he was the master of changing his appearance. One look featured this haircut which you can call the Gumby. It's pretty much a crooked mohawk.
Djibril Cissé Must Like Green...
What is the deal with footballers and their affinity for green colored hairstyles? First, we showed you the graceful Taribo West's green braids, and now we have Djibril Cissé's landing strip with the beard to match.
The green mohawk and facial hair are one of his many styles he's tried throughout his life. It also happens to be one of the wildest he's pulled off. We just wonder if it made him better, faster, or stronger.
The Mullet Days
We're going to give this one a minor pass because it surfaced in the '80s. Still, tennis player Andre Agassi didn't have to leave his hair like this for too long while he played in his stone washed shorts.
He provided everyone with a classic '80s look, which was fine for that moment. Sadly, the mullet didn't age very well, and Agassi battled personal demons in the '90s that nearly ended his career. The two, of course, are not related.
The Rainbow Hair Man
Out of all the craziest haircuts, Dennis Rodman's might not take the cake, but he wasn't afraid of doing anything to his hair. When we say anything, we mean it. He once wore a blonde wig while he was on the Bulls.
Most of the time, his hair was very colorful. Something you didn't see at all in the NBA when he played was flashy haircuts, so he stood out like a sore thumb. You could see he helped open the door for even crazier hair choices later on in the league.
One Super Afro Coming Up
Baseball caps protect baseball players from the sun, but only so much. Coco Crisp decided to grow his protection as an extension of the hat. Crisp's hair went through an evolution before arriving at the super afro, and that so happens to be when he played his best ball.
He's had the cornrows, the clean-cut look, and beads all before arriving at the afro. The more hair he had, the better he ended up playing, and stats can back that up. He might have looked ridiculous sliding to bases with all that hair, but he didn't mind.